Pair of irregular galaxies visible to the naked eye in the southern skies. They are our closest optical extragalactic objects.
small companion ('satellite') galaxies of our own Milky Way Galaxy. Only visible from far southern latitudes, and therefore unnoticed by northern (European) astronomers until Magellan's circumnavigation of the globe -- hence their name. To the unaided eye, they appear as small patches, similar to the Milky Way, which are somewhat separated from the main body of that fog of faint stars.
Our 2 closest neighboring galaxies, first seen by Magellan in 1519. The larger one (LMC) is 33,000 light years in diameter and the smaller one (SMC) is 19,500 light years in diameter.
Two small irregular galaxies that orbit our Milky Way Galaxy.
The Milky Way's two 'satellite' galaxies.
Two small, irregular galaxies found just outside our own Milky Way galaxy. The Magellanic clouds are visible in the skies of the southern hemisphere.
Two neighboring galaxies visible to the naked eye from southern latitudes.
Two nearby, small, irregular galaxies that are gravitationally bound to the Milky Way Galaxy and visible to the naked eye from the southern hemisphere.
Two close irregular or "dwarf" galaxies that orbit our Milky Way Galaxy.
Small, irregular galaxies that are companions to the Milky Way. Visible in the southern sky.
The two Magellanic Clouds are irregular dwarf galaxies that may be orbiting our Milky Way galaxyhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6249421.stm, and thus are members of our Local Group of galaxies.