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Credit & Copyright: Carlos
Fairbairn
Explanation:
Flanked
by satellite galaxies of the Milky Way a volcanic peak
rises from this rugged horizon.
The southern night skyscape looks toward the south over
Laguna Lejia
and the altiplano of the Antofagasta Region of
northern Chile.
Extending the view across extragalactic space,
the Large (right) and Small
Magellanic Clouds are so named for the
16th century Portuguese explorer
Ferdinand
Magellan, leader of planet Earth's first circumnavigation.
The larger cloud lies some 180,000 light-years, and the smaller 210,000
light-years beyond the mountaintop.
Left of the Small Cloud of Magellan and also reflected in the foreground
watery shallows on that starry night,
47 Tucanae shines like
a bright star.
A globular star cluster that roams the halo of the Milky Way, 47 Tucanae
is about 13,000 light-years away.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Large Magellanic Cloud - small Magellanic cloud
Publications with words: Large Magellanic Cloud - small Magellanic cloud
See also: