Astronomy Picture of the Day
    


The Small Cloud of Magellan (SMC)
<< Yesterday 25.01.1998 Tomorrow >>
The Small Cloud of Magellan (SMC)
Credit & Copyright: D. Malin (AAO), AATB, ROE, UKS Telescope
Explanation: Almost unknown to casual observers in the northern hemisphere, the southern sky contains two diffuse wonders known as the Magellanic Clouds. The Magellanic Clouds are small irregular galaxies orbiting our own larger Milky Way spiral galaxy. The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), pictured here, is about 250,000 light years away and contains a preponderance of young, hot, blue stars indicating it has undergone a recent period of star formation. There is evidence that the SMC is not gravitationally bound to the LMC.

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
 < January 1998  >
Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su



1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA)
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: Local Group of Galaxies - irregular galaxy
Publications with words: Local Group of Galaxies - irregular galaxy
See also:
All publications on this topic >>