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)

Word History and Origins

Origin of Magellanic cloud¹

First recorded in 1675–85

Example Sentences

For this study, Chiti and his colleagues aimed their telescopes at an unusual target: the stars that make up the Large Magellanic Cloud.

From Science Daily

The Large Magellanic Cloud is a bright swath of stars visible to the naked eye in the Southern Hemisphere.

From Science Daily

The scientists searched for evidence of these particularly ancient stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud and catalogued ten of them, first with the European Space Agency's Gaia satellite and then with the Magellan Telescope in Chile.

From Science Daily

It had much, much less of the heavier elements in it than any other star yet seen in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

From Science Daily

The supernova SN 1987A occurred 160,000 light-years from Earth in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

From Science Daily