Magellanic Cloud

noun

Mag·​el·​lan·​ic Cloud ˌma-jə-ˈla-nik- How to pronounce Magellanic Cloud (audio)
 chiefly British  ˌma-gə-
: either of the two nearest galaxies to the Milky Way system:

Examples of Magellanic Cloud in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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But with the inclusion of the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way that is the fourth largest in the Local Group, those chances dropped back down to a coin flip. Bydaniel Clery, science.org, 9 Aug. 2024 The Atacama Desert's near-perfect visibility provides crystal-clear views of the most famous constellations of the Southern Hemisphere sky — including the Tarantula Nebula, the Fornax Cluster of galaxies, the Southern Cross, and even the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. Skye Sherman, Travel + Leisure, 13 June 2024 This image is also a testament to the observing power of the Hubble Space Telescope, which captures the Large Magellanic Cloud's incredible scope and grandeur. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 11 Dec. 2023 The Tarantula is a sprawling star-forming region in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small companion galaxy to our own Milky Way Galaxy. Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 11 Aug. 2010 The lack of dust compared to similar systems in the Milky Way is giving astronomers a far away, but unobstructed view of star and planet formation in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 29 Nov. 2023 The Large Magellanic Cloud, which sits around 160,000 light-years from the galactic center, is a satellite galaxy that orbits our own at more than 650,000 mph (one million kilometers per hour)—a value consistent with standard dark matter models. Adam Mann, Scientific American, 11 Oct. 2023 The Tarantula Nebula is about 161,000 light-years away from Earth in the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy, which is home to some of the hottest and biggest stars known to astronomers. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 11 Oct. 2023 And in 1987, when a star in the Large Magellanic Cloud exploded as a supernova, it was first seen by the Swope and, simultaneously, with the naked eye of a Las Campanas staff member who was on a break in the parking lot. Dennis Overbye Marcos Zegers, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Ferdinand Magellan

First Known Use

1678, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Magellanic Cloud was in 1678

Dictionary Entries Near Magellanic Cloud

Cite this Entry

“Magellanic Cloud.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Magellanic%20Cloud. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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