astronomy

NGC 4944

NGC 4944 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 4944 rather than just read about it. In short: NGC 4944 is a large lenticular galaxy in the constellation of Coma Berenices. Its velocity with respect to the cosmic microwave background is 7,230±19 km/s, which corresponds to a Hubble distance of 347.8 ± 24.4 Mly (106.64 ± 7.47 Mpc).

Key takeaways

NGC 4944 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 4944 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of NGC 4944 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

NGC 4944 is a large lenticular galaxy in the constellation of Coma Berenices. Its velocity with respect to the cosmic microwave background is 7,230±19 km/s, which corresponds to a Hubble distance of 347.8 ± 24.4 Mly (106.64 ± 7.47 Mpc). Additionally, four non-redshift measurements give a closer mean distance of 324.53 ± 22.85 Mly (99.500 ± 7.006 Mpc). It was discovered by German-British astronomer William Herschel on 11 April 1785.

NGC 4889 group According to a study by Abraham Mahtessian in 1988, NGC 4944 is a member of the NGC 4889 group. This galaxy group has at least 18 members, including NGC 4789, NGC 4807, NGC 4816, NGC 4819, NGC 4827, NGC 4839, NGC 4841, NGC 4841A, NGC 4848, NGC 4853, NGC 4874, NGC 4889, NGC 4895, NGC 4911, NGC 4926, NGC 4966, and UGC 8017. This group is part of the Coma Cluster.

Supernova One supernova has been observed in NGC 4944:

SN 1973F (Type I, mag. 16.79) was discovered by Czech astronomer Luboš Kohoutek on 31 March 1973. Although a spectrogram was never obtained, its light curve suggested it was a 'very slow' supernova of Type I, which reached maximum magnitude of 16.2 on 11 April 1973.

See also List of NGC objects (4001–5000)

References

External links Media related to NGC 4944 at Wikimedia Commons NGC 4944 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 4944

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what NGC 4944 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 4944 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 4944 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 4944

In research: NGC 4944 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 4944 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 4944 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Astronomical objects discovered in 1785, Coma Berenices, Coma Cluster, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for NGC 4944 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 4944 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what NGC 4944 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 4944 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is NGC 4944 in simple terms?

Why does NGC 4944 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 4944?

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 4944.