Definitions for "Large Magellanic Cloud"
A satellite galaxy of our galaxy that lives "next door," only 169,000 light-years away. The LMC contains more than 30 million stars, and stretches more than 50,000 light-years from end to end, but is visible only from the Southern Hemisphere, 70 degrees south of the celestial equator. In 1987, astronomers detected a supernova in the LMC, called 1987A. The close proximity of 1987A gave astronomers a front-row seat to study supernova evolution and measure the distance to the LMC.
The Large Magellanic Cloud is an irregular galaxy in orbit around our own Milky Way galaxy. It is a large object, several degrees in size, and easily visible to the unaided eye from the Southern Hemisphere.
the larger of the two Magellanic Clouds visible from the southern hemisphere