astronomy

NGC 3187

NGC 3187 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 3187 rather than just read about it. In short: NGC 3187, also known as HGC 44D, is a large barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Leo. Its velocity relative to the cosmic microwave background is 1,901 ± 22 km/s, which corresponds to a Hubble distance of 28.0 ± 2.0 Mpc (~91.3 million ly).

Key takeaways

NGC 3187 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 3187 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of NGC 3187 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

NGC 3187, also known as HGC 44D, is a large barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Leo. Its velocity relative to the cosmic microwave background is 1,901 ± 22 km/s, which corresponds to a Hubble distance of 28.0 ± 2.0 Mpc (~91.3 million ly). NGC 3187 was discovered by Irish physicist George Stoney in 1850. The luminosity class of NGC 3187 is III and it has a broad HI line. It also contains regions of ionized hydrogen. With a surface brightness equal to 15.30 mag/am^2, NGC 3187 is classified as a low surface brightness galaxy (LSB). LSB galaxies are diffuse galaxies with a surface brightness less than one magnitude lower than that of the ambient night sky. To date, eight non-redshift measurements yield a distance of 25,700 ± 10,409 Mpc (~83.8 million ly), which is within the Hubble distance range.

Hickson 44

NGC 3185 (HCG 44c), NGC 3187 (HCG 44d), NGC 3190 (HCG 44a) and NGC 3193 (HCG 44b) form the Hickson Compact Group HCG 44. The galaxies NGC 3187, NGC 3190 and NGC 3193 appear in the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies under the designation Arp 316.

See also Leo II Groups List of spiral galaxies

External links NGC 3187 at NASA/IPAC NGC 3187 at SIMBAD NGC 3187 at LEDA NGC 3187 at SEDS

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with NGC 3187

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what NGC 3187 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 3187 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 3187 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 3187

In research: NGC 3187 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 3187 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 3187 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Arp objects, Astronomical objects discovered in 1850, Barred spiral galaxies, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for NGC 3187 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 3187 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what NGC 3187 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 3187 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is NGC 3187 in simple terms?

Why does NGC 3187 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 3187?

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 3187.