astronomy

NGC 1380

NGC 1380 is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand NGC 1380 rather than just read about it. In short: NGC 1380 is a lenticular galaxy located in the constellation Fornax. It is located at a distance of about 60 million light years from Earth, which, given its apparent dimensions, means that NGC 1380 is about 85,000 light years across.

Key takeaways

NGC 1380 belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect NGC 1380 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of NGC 1380 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

NGC 1380 is a lenticular galaxy located in the constellation Fornax. It is located at a distance of about 60 million light years from Earth, which, given its apparent dimensions, means that NGC 1380 is about 85,000 light years across. It was discovered by James Dunlop on September 2, 1826. It is a member of the Fornax Cluster.

Supermassive black hole and nucleus In the centre of NGC 1380 lies a supermassive black hole whose mass is estimated to be 2.2+1.8−0.9×108 M☉ based on the velocity dispersion of the globular clusters of the galaxy. The nucleus of NGC 1380 is a probable LINER, based on its narrow emission lines. No broad line region has been detected in NGC 1380. The nuclear spectrum appears reddened, maybe due to the presence of gas and dust around the nucleus, maybe a result of mergers. There appears to be a second element in the nucleus of the galaxy, maybe an HII region. NGC 1380 features a gas disk which co-rotates with the stellar disk, suggesting an internal origin. There is an HII region 1.8 arcseconds south of the nucleus and a diffuse H-alpha region, another HII region, observed 1.8 arcseconds north of the nucleus. The X-ray emission from the galaxy as observed by ROSAT can be explained as thermal emission from a hot interstellar medium and no hard component was detected.

Globular clusters It is estimated that there are 555±33 globular clusters in NGC 1380. There are two district populations of globular clusters, one red and one blue. The blue globular clusters have similar color and magnitude as the globular clusters in the halo of the Milky Way, but have a flatter surface density profile. The red globular clusters form the majority of the globular clusters of the galaxy. They have similar distribution to the stellar disk of NGC 1380 and have slightly higher metallicity than the globular clusters in the Milky Way, and are associated with the bulge of the galaxy. Based on their size, there are three star cluster populations, the typical globular clusters, with effective radius under 3 pc, the diffuse star clusters, with effective radius circa 5 pc, and the faint fuzzy clusters, with effective radius over 8 pc. The typical globular clusters are closer to the nucleus than the diffuse star clusters.

Environment NGC 1380 lies in the central part of the Fornax Cluster, 35 arcminutes northwest of the large elliptical galaxy NGC 1399. In the same field of view lie the galaxies NGC 1380A, NGC 1379, NGC 1381, NGC 1382, and NGC 1387. NGC 1380 lies 2 degrees north-northeast of χ2 Fornacis and because of its high surface brightness can be spotted with a five inch telescope even from bright suburban skies. Based on the properties of its inner stellar halo, it appears that NGC 1380 went through a massive galaxy merger event about 10 billion years ago. The now-consumed satellite galaxy contributed 3.7+2.7−1.5×1010 M☉ to the mass of NGC 1380, which is about one-fifth of its current mass.

Supernova One supernova has been detected in NGC 1380: SN 1992A (Type Ia, mag. 12.8) was discovered by W. Liller on 11 January 1992 and independently by N. Brown on 12 January 1992.

Gallery

See also List of NGC objects (1001–2000)

References

External links

NGC 1380 on WikiSky: DSS2, SDSS, GALEX, IRAS, Hydrogen α, X-Ray, Astrophoto, Sky Map, Articles and images NGC 1380 on SIMBAD

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with NGC 1380

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what NGC 1380 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to NGC 1380 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about NGC 1380 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of NGC 1380

In research: NGC 1380 appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses NGC 1380 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: NGC 1380 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Astronomical objects discovered in 1826, Discoveries by James Dunlop, ESO objects, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for NGC 1380 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study NGC 1380 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what NGC 1380 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain NGC 1380 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is NGC 1380 in simple terms?

Why does NGC 1380 matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study NGC 1380?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on NGC 1380.