astronomy

NGC 5363

NGC 5363 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 5363 rather than just read about it. In short: NGC 5363 is a lenticular galaxy located in the constellation Virgo. It is located at a distance of circa 65 million light years from Earth, which, given its apparent dimensions, means that NGC 5363 is about 100,000 light years across.

Key takeaways

NGC 5363 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 5363 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of NGC 5363 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

NGC 5363 is a lenticular galaxy located in the constellation Virgo. It is located at a distance of circa 65 million light years from Earth, which, given its apparent dimensions, means that NGC 5363 is about 100,000 light years across. It was discovered by William Herschel on January 19, 1784. It is a member of the NGC 5364 Group of galaxies, itself one of the Virgo III Groups strung out to the east of the Virgo Supercluster of galaxies.

Characteristics NGC 5363 is characterised by the presence of a dust lane along its minor axis, visible also in mid-infrared maps, and a more extended one with an intermediate orientation. The total mass of cold dust in the galaxy is estimated to be 2×106 M☉, extending for 52 arcseconds in the far-infrared. The dust emission appears as a disk with spiral arms and a possible barlike structure, and extends at the outer parts of the galaxy as a fainter, armlike structure, along the major axis of the galaxy. The galaxy also features HII emission that forms a spiral disk. The total dust mass is about a factor of 100 larger than the one predicted if it was created only by the mass lost by evolved stars. The galaxy also has shells, which are evidence of a recent merger, in which NGC 5363 accreted another galaxy, and thus it is strongly suggested that the interstellar dust is of external origin. It is highly likely that this merger event caused star formation activity in the galaxy, as is evident by the detection of ultraviolet radiation associated with young stars. Based on its spectrum, the nucleus of NGC 5363 has been found to be active and has been categorised as a LINER. In the centre of NGC 5363 lies a supermassive black hole with an estimated mass of 375 million M☉. NGC 5363 has been found to emit radio waves. The radio source consists of a compact core with a diameter of less than 2 arcseconds and probably an extended component, stretching for about 20 arcseconds.

Nearby galaxies NGC 5363 is the foremost galaxy in a galaxy group known as the NGC 5363 group. Other members of the group include NGC 5300, NGC 5348, NGC 5356, NGC 5360, and NGC 5364. NGC 5363 and NGC 5364 lie at a projected distance of 14.5 arcminutes, forming a non-interacting pair. The group is part of the Virgo III Groups, a very obvious chain of galaxy groups on the left side of the Virgo Cluster, stretching across 40 million light years of space.

See also IC 1459, NGC 3108, NGC 5128, and NGC 5173 – other early-type galaxies with spiral features

References

External links NGC 5363 on WikiSky: DSS2, SDSS, GALEX, IRAS, Hydrogen α, X-Ray, Astrophoto, Sky Map, Articles and images NGC 5363 on SIMBAD

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with NGC 5363

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what NGC 5363 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 5363 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 5363 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 5363

In research: NGC 5363 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 5363 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 5363 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Astronomical objects discovered in 1784, Discoveries by William Herschel, Lenticular galaxies, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for NGC 5363 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 5363 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what NGC 5363 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 5363 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is NGC 5363 in simple terms?

Why does NGC 5363 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 5363?

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 5363.