Monday, Sep 2, 2024

The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is an irregular galaxy and one of the satellite galaxies of the Milky Way, located about 200,000 light-years from Earth. As a satellite galaxy, it orbits the Milky Way, influenced by its gravity, which causes interactions that can distort its shape. With a diameter of about 7,000 light-years, the SMC contains billions of stars and many active star-forming regions. It also interacts with another satellite galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud. Visible to the naked eye from the Southern Hemisphere, the SMC is a crucial object for astronomical studies on the evolution and dynamics of smaller galaxies.