When you purchase through inter-group communication on our site , we may earn an affiliate commission . Here ’s how it works .
What it is : The great Magellanic Cloud and the Small Magellanic Cloud , two dwarf satellite galaxy of theMilky Way
Where it is:160,000 light-headed - geezerhood aside , in the constellation Dorado and Mensa ( for the Large Magellanic Cloud ) and 200,000 low-cal - year aside , in the constellations Tucana and Hydrus ( for the Small Magellanic Cloud )
A long-duration photo captures the view of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds from a window on the SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft.
When it was shared : Dec. 2 , 2024
Why it ’s so special : OurMilky direction galaxydoes not jaunt through space alone . A spiral galaxy with a disk that spans more than 100,000 light - years , it sits within a neighbourhood called the Local Group , which includes more than 50 other galaxies . Some of the neighborhood ’s less - massive galaxy revolve the Milky Way as satellites .
Two satellite galaxies , the expectant Magellanic Cloud and the Small Magellanic Cloud , can be seen in the night sky only from the Southern Hemisphere — or from space . This image was assume by Don Pettit , NASA ’s oldest active astronaut , at 69 years old . He go far at theInternational Space Station(ISS ) on Sept. 11 , after launching from Kazakhstan in a Russian Soyuz space vehicle , along with two Russian cosmonauts .
He took this recollective - picture image from aSpaceXCrew Dragon capsule dock to the ISS . It was one of three related imagespublished on Xby NASA ; two featured the Magellanic Clouds , and the other showed the Milky Way .
shout out irregular planet galaxies because of their perverted shapes , the Magellanic Clouds each hold billions of stars . Many incredible astronomical observations have been made there . Perhaps the most famous was in the Large Magellanic Cloud , where in 1987 , astronomer spot thelast supernova to be pick up with the au naturel eye .
— Stare into the ' bloodshot oculus ' of a stalk galaxy duo
— James Webb telescope descry a occult star mill in the Sombrero Galaxy
— Hubble uncovers the true identity of an queer galaxy — and it ’s not whorled or oval
Last month , astronomersrevealedthe first high-pitched - quality , zoomed - in photo of a whizz outside our galaxy . Located in the Large Magellanic Cloud , the star , WOH G64 , is 1,500 times wider than the sun and on the brink of break loose in a trigger-happy supernova .
The Magellanic Clouds are most easy ascertain between December and April from the Southern Hemisphere .
On his quaternary spacefaring , Pettit has been take long - pic double and posting them on X , include astar trail , SpaceXStarlink satellitesandLas Vegas at nighttime , one of the brightest place on Earth .
For more rarified outer space prototype , check out ourSpace Photo of the Week archives .
