astronomy

NGC 3396

NGC 3396 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 3396 rather than just read about it. In short: NGC 3396 is a peculiar barred irregular galaxy in the constellation Leo Minor. The galaxy lies about 80 million light years away from Earth, which means, given its apparent dimensions, that NGC 3396 is approximately 85,000 light years across.

Key takeaways

NGC 3396 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 3396 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of NGC 3396 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

NGC 3396 is a peculiar barred irregular galaxy in the constellation Leo Minor. The galaxy lies about 80 million light years away from Earth, which means, given its apparent dimensions, that NGC 3396 is approximately 85,000 light years across. It was discovered by William Herschel on December 7, 1785.

Characteristics NGC 3396 forms an interacting pair with NGC 3395, a spiral galaxy that lies 1.5 arcminutes from NGC 3396. The mass ratio of the two galaxies is about 1.5 to 1, with NGC 3395 being the more massive of the two. The two galaxies appear separate but a bridge of material is visible between them and tidal tails are observed. Dynamical modelling of the pair suggests that the two galaxies had a first close encounter in the past, which resulting in gas been stripped from NGC 3395 and forming a tidal tail to the south-east. A second close encounter took place about 50 million years ago, resulting to starburst activity. The two galaxies will most likely merge in the next 500 million years. The galaxy hosts a number of HII regions that are star forming with the region of most intense star formation being in the center of the galaxy. The average size of the knots in NGC 3396 is an order of magnitude larger than those in NGC 3395. The central region of NGC 3396 is estimated to host 1,000 to 2,000 Wolf-Rayet stars and tens of thousands of O-type stars. The star formation rate in the circumnuclear is estimated to be 0.15 M☉ per year and in the rest of the galaxy 0.39 M☉. The nucleus of the galaxy has been found to be active and based on its spectrum it has been categorised as a LINER. Kinematic analysis of the gas indicates there is gas inflow to the centre of the galaxy along its bar and also there is an biconal outflow element that could be galactic wind from a supermassive black hole in the nucleus.

Nearby galaxies The NGC 3395/3396 pair is part of the NGC 3430 Group or LGG 218. Other members of the group include the galaxies NGC 3381, NGC 3424, NGC 3430, NGC 3442, and IC 2604. IC 2604 lies 14 arcmin to the south-west of the pair and IC 2608 14 arcmin to the south-east. The group is part of the Leo II groups, which is part of the Virgo Supercluster.

References

External links

NGC 3396 on WikiSky: DSS2, SDSS, GALEX, IRAS, Hydrogen α, X-Ray, Astrophoto, Sky Map, Articles and images

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with NGC 3396

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what NGC 3396 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 3396 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 3396 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 3396

In research: NGC 3396 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 3396 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 3396 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Arp objects, Astronomical objects discovered in 1785, Barred irregular galaxies, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for NGC 3396 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 3396 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what NGC 3396 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 3396 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is NGC 3396 in simple terms?

Why does NGC 3396 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 3396?

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 3396.