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Magellanic Clouds
Sign in to savetwo dwarf galaxies orbiting the Milky Way
The Magellanic Clouds are two smaller galaxies that orbit around our own Milky Way galaxy. Astronomers study them because they offer insights into how galaxies interact and evolve, and they're close enough to observe in detail with telescopes.
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Wikidata facts
- Image
- Magellanic Clouds ― Irregular Dwarf Galaxies.jpg
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- right ascension
- 45.00
- declination
- -71.0
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- Magellanic Clouds
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Article
The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds Small and Large Magellanic Clouds over Paranal ObservatoryALMA antennae bathed in red light. In the background are the southern Milky Way on the left and the Magellanic Clouds at the top.
The Magellanic Clouds (Magellanic system or Nubeculae Magellani) are two irregular dwarf galaxies in the southern celestial hemisphere. Orbiting the Milky Way galaxy, these satellite galaxies are members of the Local Group. Because both show signs of a bar structure, they are often reclassified as Magellanic spiral galaxies.