NGC 736 facts for kids
NGC 736 is a type of galaxy called an elliptical galaxy. It can be found in the Triangulum constellation, which is a group of stars that look like a triangle from Earth. This galaxy is incredibly far away from our own galaxy, the Milky Way. It is about 200 million light-years distant.
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What is NGC 736?
NGC 736 is a galaxy, which is a giant collection of stars, gas, dust, and dark matter, all held together by gravity. Think of it as an "island" in space, filled with billions of stars. Our own Sun is just one star in our galaxy, the Milky Way.
How Far Away is NGC 736?
When we say NGC 736 is 200 million light-years away, it means the light we see from it today started its journey 200 million years ago! A light-year is the distance light travels in one year. Light moves incredibly fast, about 186,000 miles (300,000 kilometers) per second. So, 200 million light-years is a truly enormous distance, showing how vast the universe is.
Galaxies: Cosmic Islands
Galaxies are some of the biggest structures in the universe. They come in many shapes and sizes. Our universe contains billions of galaxies, each with billions or even trillions of stars. These stars are often born in clouds of gas and dust within the galaxy.
Different Shapes of Galaxies
Scientists classify galaxies mainly by their shape. The three main types are:
- Spiral Galaxies: These look like giant pinwheels with arms spiraling out from a central bulge. Our Milky Way galaxy is a spiral galaxy. They often have lots of gas and dust, where new stars are forming.
- Elliptical Galaxies: These galaxies are shaped like a sphere or an oval, similar to a football or an egg. They don't have spiral arms and usually contain older stars, with less gas and dust for new star formation. NGC 736 is an elliptical galaxy.
- Irregular Galaxies: These galaxies don't have a clear, defined shape. Their unusual forms are often caused by gravitational interactions with other galaxies.
Finding NGC 736: The Triangulum Constellation
NGC 736 is located in the Triangulum constellation. A constellation is a group of stars that form a recognizable pattern in the night sky. People have imagined shapes and stories from these star patterns for thousands of years. The Triangulum constellation is named after its triangle shape, which is easy to spot in the northern sky. While NGC 736 is in the direction of Triangulum, it's much, much farther away than the stars that make up the constellation itself.
