astronomy

NGC 6261

NGC 6261 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 6261 rather than just read about it. In short: NGC 6261 is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation of Hercules. It is located 470 million light-years away from the Solar System and has an approximate diameter of 200,000 light-years.

Key takeaways

NGC 6261 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 6261 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of NGC 6261 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

NGC 6261 is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation of Hercules. It is located 470 million light-years away from the Solar System and has an approximate diameter of 200,000 light-years. NGC 6261 was discovered on July 13, 1880, by French astronomer Edouard Stephan. The galaxy is described as LINER according to SIMBAD database and presents emission spectrum in its nucleus which is categorized by broad lines of weak ionized atoms.

Supernovae Two supernovae have been discovered in NGC 6261: SN 2007hu and SN 2008dt.

SN 2007hu was discovered on September 9, 2007, by astronomers Ernesto Guido, A. Sehgal and Tim Puckett. It had a magnitude of 17.7 and was located 1".3 west and 1".4 north of the nucleus. The supernova was Type la. SN 2008dt was discovered on 30 June, 2008, by astronomers D. Madison, W. Li and A.V. Filippenko at the University of California, Berkeley. It had a magnitude of 17.2 and was located 1".0 east and 5.5" south of the nucleus. The supernova was Type la.

See also List of NGC objects (6001–7000)

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with NGC 6261

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what NGC 6261 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 6261 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 6261 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 6261

In research: NGC 6261 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 6261 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 6261 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Astronomical objects discovered in 1880, Discoveries by Édouard Stephan, Hercules (constellation), so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for NGC 6261 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 6261 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what NGC 6261 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 6261 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is NGC 6261 in simple terms?

NGC 6261 is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation of Hercules. It is located 470 million light-years away from the Solar System and has an approximate diameter of 200,000 light-years.

Why does NGC 6261 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 6261?

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 6261.