astronomy

NGC 88

NGC 88 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 88 rather than just read about it. In short: NGC 88 is an interacting peculiar spiral galaxy located approximately 160 million light-years (49 Mpc) away in the constellation Phoenix. It is a physical member of Robert's Quartet (HCG 92), a compact group of four interacting galaxies.

Key takeaways

NGC 88 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 88 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of NGC 88 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

NGC 88 is an interacting peculiar spiral galaxy located approximately 160 million light-years (49 Mpc) away in the constellation Phoenix. It is a physical member of Robert's Quartet (HCG 92), a compact group of four interacting galaxies. The galaxy has an apparent visual magnitude of 14.1.

Physical Characteristics and Environment NGC 88 features a faint, diffuse outer envelope of gas and dust that has been tidally extended due to ongoing gravitational interactions with its neighboring group members, particularly NGC 87 and NGC 89. High-resolution imaging obtained by the Very Large Telescope demonstrates that these interactions have induced mild star-forming regions within its distorted spiral arms. The galaxy has an apparent angular size of 0′.8 × 0′.5 arcminutes, which at its light-travel distance of 160 million light-years translates to a physical diameter of approximately 35,000 light-years.

Discovery NGC 88 was discovered by English astronomer John Herschel on September 30, 1834, using an 18.7-inch reflecting telescope at the Cape of Good Hope.

References

External links Media related to NGC 88 at Wikimedia Commons

NGC 88 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 88

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what NGC 88 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 88 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 88 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 88

In research: NGC 88 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 88 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 88 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Astronomical objects discovered in 1834, Barred spiral galaxies, NGC objects, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for NGC 88 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 88 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what NGC 88 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 88 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is NGC 88 in simple terms?

Why does NGC 88 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 88?

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 88.