astronomy

NGC 5377

NGC 5377 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 5377 rather than just read about it. In short: NGC 5377 is an intermediate barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Canes Venatici. Its speed relative to the cosmic microwave background is 1,951 ± 11 km/s, which corresponds to a Hubble distance of 28.8 ± 2.0 Mpc (~93.9 million ly).

Key takeaways

NGC 5377 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 5377 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of NGC 5377 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

NGC 5377 is an intermediate barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Canes Venatici. Its speed relative to the cosmic microwave background is 1,951 ± 11 km/s, which corresponds to a Hubble distance of 28.8 ± 2.0 Mpc (~93.9 million ly). NGC 5377 was discovered by German-British astronomer William Herschel on 12 May 1787. NGC 5377 was used by Gérard de Vaucouleurs as a morphological type galaxy SAb in his galaxy atlas. The luminosity class of NGC 5377 is I and it has a broad HI line. NGC 5377 also has an active galactic nucleus which has been identified as a type 2 LINER. To date, 17 non-redshift measurements yield a distance of 25.918 ± 5.770 Mpc (~84.5 million ly), which is within the Hubble distance range. Note, however, that it is with the average value of independent measurements, when they exist, that the NASA/IPAC database calculates the diameter of a galaxy and that consequently the diameter of NGC 5377 could be approximately 37.7 kpc (~123,000 ly) if Hubble distance is used to calculate it.

Nucleic disk

With observations from the Hubble Space Telescope, a star-forming disk was observed around the core of NGC 5377. The size of its semi-major axis is estimated at 790 pc (~2,575 light years).

Supermassive black hole According to a study based on near-infrared K-band luminosity measurements of the nuclei of NGC 5377, a supermassive black hole with an apparent mass of approximately 107.8 M☉ (63 million solar masses) exists within the core of the galaxy.

Supernova One supernova has been observed in NGC 5377. SN 1992H (Type II, mag. 15) was discovered on 11 February 1992, by William R. Wren of the McDonald Observatory at the University of Texas at Austin.

NGC 5448 group According to A. M. Garcia, NGC 5377 is a member of the NGC 5448 Group. The group has nine galaxies, including NGC 5425, NGC 5448, NGC 5481, NGC 5500, NGC 5520, UGC 9056 and UGC 9083.

See also List of NGC objects (5001–6000)

References

External links

NGC 5377 at NASA/IPAC NGC 5377 at SIMBAD NGC 5377 at LEDA NGC 5377 (DSS2) at WikiSky NGC 5377 (SDSS) at WikiSky NGC 5377 (GALEX) at WikiSky

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with NGC 5377

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what NGC 5377 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 5377 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 5377 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 5377

In research: NGC 5377 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 5377 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 5377 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Astronomical objects discovered in 1787, Barred spiral galaxies, Canes Venatici, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for NGC 5377 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 5377 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what NGC 5377 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 5377 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is NGC 5377 in simple terms?

Why does NGC 5377 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 5377?

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 5377.