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Magellanic cloud

noun

, Astronomy.
  1. either of two irregular galactic clusters in the southern heavens that are the nearest independent star system to the Milky Way.


Magellanic Cloud

/ ˌmæɡɪˈlænɪk /

noun

  1. either of two small irregular galaxies, the Large Magellanic Cloud (Nubecula Major) and the Small Magellanic Cloud (Nubecula Minor), lying near the S celestial pole; they are probably satellites of the Galaxy. Distances: 163 000 light years (Large), 196 000 light years (Small)
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Word History and Origins

Origin of Magellanic cloud1

First recorded in 1675–85
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Example Sentences

I make it just a shade inside the outermost fringes of the Large Magellanic Cloud.

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Magellan, FerdinandMagellanic Clouds