astronomy

NGC 559

NGC 559 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 559 rather than just read about it. In short: NGC 559 (also known as Caldwell 8) is an open cluster and Caldwell object in the northern constellation of Cassiopeia. It shines at magnitude +9.5.

Key takeaways

NGC 559 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 559 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of NGC 559 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

NGC 559 (also known as Caldwell 8) is an open cluster and Caldwell object in the northern constellation of Cassiopeia. It shines at magnitude +9.5. Its celestial coordinates are RA 01h 29.5m , dec +63° 18′. It is located near the open cluster NGC 637, and the bright magnitude +2.2 irregular variable star Gamma Cassiopeiae. The cluster is 7 arcmins across. It was discovered by William Herschel in 1787. The object is also called Ghost's Goblet. This name was coined by astronomer Stephen J. O'Meara, as the center of the star cluster, with a little imagination, is reminiscent of a still photograph of a jeweled goblet that is about to vanish in a ghostly manner. O'Meara attributes the impression of fading to the low brightness (about +12) of many stars in the center as well as to the great age of the star cluster, which is about 1.8 billion years old.

References

External links Media related to NGC 559 at Wikimedia Commons Frommert, Harmut. "Revised NGC Data for NGC 559". Spider. Students for the Exploration and Development of Space. "NGC 559". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. "NED results for object NGC 0559". NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. National Aeronautics and Space Administration / Infrared Processing and Analysis Center. Retrieved 17 February 2018.

NGC 559 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 559

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what NGC 559 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 559 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 559 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 559

In research: NGC 559 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 559 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 559 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Astronomical objects discovered in 1787, Caldwell objects, Cassiopeia (constellation), so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for NGC 559 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 559 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what NGC 559 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 559 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is NGC 559 in simple terms?

NGC 559 (also known as Caldwell 8) is an open cluster and Caldwell object in the northern constellation of Cassiopeia. It shines at magnitude +9.5.

Why does NGC 559 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 559?

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 559.