astronomy

NGC 3672

NGC 3672 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 3672 rather than just read about it. In short: NGC 3672 is an unbarred spiral galaxy in the constellation Crater. The galaxy lies about 80 million light years away from Earth, which means, given its apparent dimensions, that NGC 3672 is approximately 100,000 light years across.

Key takeaways

NGC 3672 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 3672 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of NGC 3672 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

NGC 3672 is an unbarred spiral galaxy in the constellation Crater. The galaxy lies about 80 million light years away from Earth, which means, given its apparent dimensions, that NGC 3672 is approximately 100,000 light years across. It was discovered by William Herschel on March 4, 1786.

Characteristics The galaxy has a small, bright nucleus. Its mass is estimated to be about 200 million solar masses and its radius 350 parsecs (1,100 ly). Spectral analysis of the nuclear region of the galaxy revealed the presence of large velocity gradients along the minor axis of the outer disk. This has been interpreted as a result of the presence of excited nuclear gas rotating at a large angle with respect to the rest of the galaxy or gas clouds collapsing towards the centre. That was the first time such nuclear gas kinematics were observed in a spiral galaxy. Four well defined arms with many knots emerge from the centre of the galaxy in a grand design pattern. The star formation rate of the galaxy is estimated to be about 3.5 M☉ per year.

Supernovae Two supernovae have been observed in NGC 3672:

SN 2007bm was discovered by R. Martin of the Perth Observatory in images taken by the Perth Automated Supernova Search on 20 and 21 April 2007 at an apparent magnitude of 16 about 2".4 west and 10".8 south of center of the galaxy. It was identified as a type Ia supernova about a week before maximum. It reached a peak magnitude of 14.2. SN 2008gz was discovered by Koichi Itagaki on 5 November 2008 at an apparent magnitude of 16.2 located 13" east and 7" south of the center of NGC 3672. It was identified as a type IIP supernova about 80 days past explosion. The supernova took place at the inner parts of a spiral arm, next to an HII region. The progenitor star was estimated to have had a mass of 17 M☉ while it was in the main sequence.

Nearby galaxies NGC 3672 is the foremost member of the NGC 3672 Group, also known as LGG 235. Other members of the group include NGC 3636, NGC 3637, and IC 688. IC 688 lies about 20 arcminutes away from NGC 3672. The galaxy group lies in the same galaxy cloud with NGC 3730 and NGC 3779.

Gallery

References

External links

NGC 3672 on WikiSky: DSS2, SDSS, GALEX, IRAS, Hydrogen α, X-Ray, Astrophoto, Sky Map, Articles and images NGC 3672 on SIMBAD

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with NGC 3672

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what NGC 3672 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 3672 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 3672 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 3672

In research: NGC 3672 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 3672 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 3672 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Astronomical objects discovered in 1786, Crater (constellation), Crater Cloud, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for NGC 3672 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 3672 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what NGC 3672 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 3672 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is NGC 3672 in simple terms?

Why does NGC 3672 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 3672?

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 3672.