astronomy

NGC 4383

NGC 4383 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 4383 rather than just read about it. In short: NGC 4383 is a spiral galaxy located at a distance of around 78 million light years from Earth in the constellation of Coma Berenices. It was discovered on 23 May 1862 by Eduard Schönfeld.

Key takeaways

NGC 4383 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 4383 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of NGC 4383 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

NGC 4383 is a spiral galaxy located at a distance of around 78 million light years from Earth in the constellation of Coma Berenices. It was discovered on 23 May 1862 by Eduard Schönfeld. It is a member of the Virgo Cluster located around 1.25 mpc north-east from Messier 87, a supergiant elliptical galaxy. It is currently on its first infall into the cluster but it is not undergoing ram pressure stripping seen in jellyfish galaxies such as IC 3476 and CGCG 97-73.

Characteristics

It is a spiral galaxy with an intermediate mass but the morphological classification is uncertain. Classifications have placed NGC 4383 as a Sa galaxy with peculiar features to a S0 galaxy. It is relatively smooth and featureless. Imaging reveals a clear dust lane and a very bright central region where starburst occurs. Located north of the galaxy are an extension of blue knots which are brighter in ultraviolet light showing evidence of star formation occurring outside the main body of NGC 4383. While it is not possible to rule out, these regions are likely not formed from ram-pressure processes but instead are just cold, high density regions of the H I disc forming H II regions. These regions are similar to the star formation regions in the tails of jellyfish galaxies, these similarities are strengthened by the infalling status of NGC 4383. It is one of the most H I-rich disk galaxies in the Virgo clusters. It also has one of the most extended H I-disks in the Virgo cluster with it being extended over four times the optical size of the galaxy.

Outflow The galaxy is host to massive bipolar outflows, similar to the outflows of Messier 82, of ionized gas that has a length of 6 kiloparsec (20,000 ly). It has a mass of 50 million solar masses with about 1.8 solar masses of mass per year is outflowed from the galaxy travelling at an average velocity of 210 km/s (some regions have a velocity of 300 km/s). The flow had a clumpy structure with a complex kinematics of ionized gas. These outflows are probably triggered by a strong burst of star-formation activity and possibly supernova explosions. The ejected material is enriched in heavy elements. While it is enriched in metals compared to the disk, it is not as enriched as the central region of the galaxy. The outflows a molecular component such as clouds of Carbon monoxide (CO). However emissions for CO decline rapidly as it gets further form the galaxy with distances above a couple of kiloparsecs lacking a molecular component. Above the first kiloparsec, atomic Hydrogen dominates the cold components of the outflow.

History of research These outflows were undiscovered as first glances of NGC 4383 shows it to be unremarkable being smooth and featureless. Perhaps the first ones to suggest that NGC 4383 had an outflow was (Koopmann & Kenney, 2004). They noted in their H α narrow-band image, and the H α image from the VESTIGE (Virgo Environmental Survey Tracing Ionised Gas Emission) clear bipolar filimentary structures. Imaging surveys reveal the more unique features of NGC 4383 such as the bipolar outflows which were studied using the Multi-unit spectroscopic explorer (MUSE) at the Very Large Telescope (VLT). It was also studied using MAUVE (Multiphase Astrophysics to Unveil the Virgo Environment).

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with NGC 4383

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what NGC 4383 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 4383 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 4383 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 4383

In research: NGC 4383 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 4383 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 4383 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Astronomical objects discovered in 1862, Coma Berenices, LEDA objects, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for NGC 4383 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 4383 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what NGC 4383 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 4383 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is NGC 4383 in simple terms?

NGC 4383 is a spiral galaxy located at a distance of around 78 million light years from Earth in the constellation of Coma Berenices. It was discovered on 23 May 1862 by Eduard Schönfeld.

Why does NGC 4383 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 4383?

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 4383.