astronomy

NGC 289

NGC 289 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 289 rather than just read about it. In short: NGC 289 is a spiral galaxy in the southern constellation of Sculptor, located at a distance of 76 megalight-years from the Milky Way. It was discovered on September 27, 1834, by John Herschel.

Key takeaways

NGC 289 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 289 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of NGC 289 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

NGC 289 is a spiral galaxy in the southern constellation of Sculptor, located at a distance of 76 megalight-years from the Milky Way. It was discovered on September 27, 1834, by John Herschel. The compiler of the New General Catalogue, John Louis Emil Dreyer, noted that NGC 289 was "pretty bright, large, extended, between 2 considerably bright stars". The plane of the galaxy is inclined by an angle of 45° to the line of sight from the Earth. This is a Type II Seyfert galaxy with an active galactic nucleus. A dust lane is seen crossing the nucleus, and there are indications of recent starburst activity nearby. NGC 289 is a giant, gas-rich, low surface brightness galaxy with a small bulge at the nucleus, a small central bar, and two inner spiral arms. These arms split into multiple parts as they extend into the outer disk. The galaxy has a dark matter halo that has an estimated 3.5 times the mass of the gaseous and stellar components. There is a dwarf elliptical companion to the north of the galaxy, designated Arp 1981, that may be having a perturbing influence.

Gallery

References

External links Media related to NGC 289 at Wikimedia Commons

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with NGC 289

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what NGC 289 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 289 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 289 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 289

In research: NGC 289 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 289 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 289 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Astronomical objects discovered in 1834, Barred spiral galaxies, Interacting galaxies, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for NGC 289 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 289 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what NGC 289 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 289 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is NGC 289 in simple terms?

NGC 289 is a spiral galaxy in the southern constellation of Sculptor, located at a distance of 76 megalight-years from the Milky Way. It was discovered on September 27, 1834, by John Herschel.

Why does NGC 289 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 289?

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 289.