astronomy

NGC 1513

NGC 1513 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 1513 rather than just read about it. In short: NGC 1513 is an open cluster of stars in the northern constellation of Perseus, positioned 2° SSE of the faint star Lambda Persei. The same telescope field contains the clusters NGC 1528 and NGC 1545.

Key takeaways

NGC 1513 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 1513 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of NGC 1513 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

NGC 1513 is an open cluster of stars in the northern constellation of Perseus, positioned 2° SSE of the faint star Lambda Persei. The same telescope field contains the clusters NGC 1528 and NGC 1545. NGC 1513 was discovered in 1790 by the German-British astronomer William Herschel. The brightest component star is of magnitude 11, so a medium-sized amateur telescope is needed to observe 20-30 members. With a 12 in (30 cm) aperture telescope, most of the member stars can be resolved. This cluster is located at a distance of 4,824 light-years from the Sun, but is drawing closer with a radial velocity of −14.7 km/s. This cluster has a rating of II2m in the Trumpler Catalogue, indicating it is moderately rich in stars with little central concentration. It is partially obscured by dust from the Persei dark cloud complex. NGC 1513 is 363 million years old and at least 433 stars in the field are members with a minimum 50% probability. The cluster has a core radius of 4.83 ± 0.55 ly (1.48 ± 0.17 pc) and a tidal radius of 65 ± 10 ly (20 ± 3 pc). It has a metallicity of [M/H] = −0.10±0.10 dex, indicating a lower abundance of elements more massive than helium compared to the Sun.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with NGC 1513

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what NGC 1513 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 1513 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 1513 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 1513

In research: NGC 1513 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 1513 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 1513 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Astronomical objects discovered in 1790, Discoveries by William Herschel, NGC objects, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for NGC 1513 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 1513 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what NGC 1513 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 1513 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is NGC 1513 in simple terms?

Why does NGC 1513 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 1513?

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 1513.