Large Magellanic Cloud
Science

Facts about Large Magellanic Cloud

We found 16 facts about Large Magellanic Cloud

It is the largest satellite galaxy of the Milky Way

It owes its name to Ferdinand Magellan, who admired it in the sky during his expeditions around the world. To the naked eye, it can be seen as a faint cloud with an angular size of 10.75 degrees × 9.17 degrees. It is located relatively close to the Milky Way, so it is a good object for astronomical research. This galaxy contains a lot of dust and gas and is undergoing an active star formation period.

Large Magellanic Cloud
1
It is located in the constellation of Dorado and Mensa.
2
The mass of the Large Magellanic Cloud is estimated at 10 billion solar masses, which is about a hundred times less massive than the Milky Way.
3
In 964, the Persian astronomer Al Sufi observed the galaxy and named it Al Bakr, which means "The White Ox".
4
The next description of the galaxy appeared in Amerigo Vespucci's writings on his third expedition. He observed the object in the years 1503 - 1504.
5
We define the shape of the galaxy as a Magellanic spiral galaxy.

It has a bar, but it does not appear in the center of the galaxy. The reason for this deformation is the gravitational influence of both the Milky Way and the Small Magellanic Cloud.

6
It is located approximately 163.000 light-years from the Milky Way.

The measurement error from 2013 is 2.2 percent.

7
The diameter of the Large Magellanic Cloud is approximately 14.000 light years.
8
The Large Magellanic Cloud will collide with the Milky Way in about 2.4 billion years.
9
Whether the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds orbit the Milky Way has not yet been definitively confirmed, as research conducted by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2006 may suggest that the speed of these objects is too high for our galaxy to support them.
10
According to research carried out by the Hubble Large Telescope in 2014, it was calculated that the rotation of the Large Magellanic Cloud around its axis takes about 250 million years.
11
It contains approximately 60 globular clusters, 700 open clusters, and 400 planetary nebulae.
12
One of the closest supernovae is SN 1987A, which exploded inside the Large Magellanic Cloud around February 23, 1987.

It was the brightest supernova recorded since 1604.

13
Between the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, there is a belt of hydrogen that connects both galaxies.

There are numerous stars inside the gas belt, concentrating in two places in the belt in the so-called islands consisting of larger clusters of stars. Polish astronomers from the University of Warsaw Observatory are behind the discovery of the belt connecting both galaxies.

14
One of the largest globular clusters in the galaxy is NGC 1783.
15
The galaxy appears in many films, anime, and computer games.
16
In the Marvel comics, the Large Magellanic Cloud is the heart of the Kree empire.
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