astronomy

NGC 2663

NGC 2663 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 2663 rather than just read about it. In short: NGC 2663 (also known as PGC 24590) is an elliptical galaxy with a gaseous disk located in the constellation Pyxis. It is 93 million light years away from Earth.

Key takeaways

NGC 2663 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 2663 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of NGC 2663 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

NGC 2663 (also known as PGC 24590) is an elliptical galaxy with a gaseous disk located in the constellation Pyxis. It is 93 million light years away from Earth. It hosts a compact central radio source and previous studies suggested that it also contains an active galactic nucleus (AGN). Although it was detected in 1886 and many observations of this galaxy have been conducted since then, many of its properties still remain unknown.

Discovery The galaxy was discovered on 8 February 1886 by Lewis A. Swift.

Black hole In August 2022, astronomers from the Western Sydney University discovered a black hole shooting a jet at almost the speed of light, with enormous energy. The beam length is expected to be spanning more than a million light years from end to end. The jet of matter was shooting out of NGC 2663 from a black hole at its center. The jet stream was about 50 times larger than the galaxy itself. At the time of discovery it was one of the biggest jets ever observed. The astronomers used the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation's (CSIRO) super-telescope the Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder, which is a network of 36 linked radio dishes combined to form a single super telescope.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with NGC 2663

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what NGC 2663 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 2663 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 2663 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 2663

In research: NGC 2663 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 2663 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 2663 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Discoveries by Lewis Swift, Elliptical galaxies, Galaxies discovered in 1886, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for NGC 2663 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 2663 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what NGC 2663 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 2663 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is NGC 2663 in simple terms?

NGC 2663 (also known as PGC 24590) is an elliptical galaxy with a gaseous disk located in the constellation Pyxis. It is 93 million light years away from Earth.

Why does NGC 2663 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 2663?

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 2663.