astronomy

NGC 6185

NGC 6185 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 6185 rather than just read about it. In short: NGC 6185, also called UGC 10444, is a LINER and spiral galaxy of morphological type Sa. It is at redshift z = 0.034304, equivalent to 152 million parsecs (496 million light-years) away, in the constellation of Hercules, and has an apparent B magnitude of 14.5.

Key takeaways

NGC 6185 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 6185 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of NGC 6185 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

NGC 6185, also called UGC 10444, is a LINER and spiral galaxy of morphological type Sa. It is at redshift z = 0.034304, equivalent to 152 million parsecs (496 million light-years) away, in the constellation of Hercules, and has an apparent B magnitude of 14.5. The galaxy was discovered in April 1827 by British astronomer John Herschel.

Physical properties NGC 6185 is a massive spiral Sa galaxy in the galaxy cluster Abell 2199. It is 239,000 light-years (73,000 parsecs) across based on an angular diameter of 1.2 arcmin and a distance of 152 million parsecs (496 million light-years) away. It has a stellar mass of 295.1×109 M☉ and is believed to be a starburst galaxy. It has an active galactic nucleus (AGN) that is also classified as a quasar and is estimated to be extremely bright with a luminosity of 131.5×109 L☉. The active galactic nucleus of NGC 6185 is powered by a 600-million-M☉ black hole accreting matter that is ejected far beyond the physical galaxy, forming its immense radio lobes. The central black hole mass is high; however, it is expected for giant radio galaxies (GRGs) and is comparable to similar spiral-hosted radio galaxies such as J2345-0449. It is possible that the active galactic nucleus is inactive and the radio structure is a remnant. In 2016, an ultraluminous X-ray source was discovered in NGC 6185. It was designated CXOU J163317.7+352018 and has an estimated luminosity of 57.9 million L☉.

In 2022, it was found in the LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey for giants (LoTSS) that NGC 6185 generated radio lobes spanning ~2.54 megaparsecs, making it the largest known spiral galaxy-hosted radio galaxy. It greatly surpasses the previous largest spiral radio galaxy, J2345-0449, which has an extent of ~1.63 megaparsecs. The radio structure is a Fanaroff-Riley class II radio galaxy which are edge-brightened and far more luminous than their counterpart, and it is also a double lobed radio galaxy, so it is technically classified as a spiral DRAGN. The total exact length of the radio structure is 2.544 million parsecs (8.30×10^6 ly), comparable to the Local Group and other small galaxy clusters. This estimate is based on an angular diameter of 60 arcmin, which is the second-largest of any GRG.

See also List of spiral DRAGNs Abell 2199 – the galaxy cluster NGC 6185 is located in

References

Illustrations

NGC 6185: LoTSS image of the radio lobes of NGC 6185 — LoTSS image of the radio lobes of NGC 6185

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with NGC 6185

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what NGC 6185 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 6185 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 6185 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 6185

In research: NGC 6185 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 6185 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 6185 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Astronomical objects discovered in 1827, Discoveries by John Herschel, Hercules (constellation), so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for NGC 6185 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 6185 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what NGC 6185 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 6185 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is NGC 6185 in simple terms?

Why does NGC 6185 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 6185?

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 6185.