Seen as pale spots in the night sky of the Southern Hemisphere, Magellanic Clouds are dwarf galaxies that belong to the "Local Group" of galaxies. When conditions are favorable, and when we have clear starry skies - both of these irregular galaxies can be easily seen with the naked eye. It has long been thought that the Magellanic Clouds was one galaxy, but today it is confirmed that they are two different regions. The Great Magellanic Cloud is about 163000 light years from us, and the Little Magellanic Cloud is about 198000 light years. When viewed from Earth, these two galaxies appear to be in the same plane - but the Little Magellanic Cloud is deep behind the Great by 35,000 light years. Until 1994 and the invention of the Sagittarius Dwarf elliptical galaxy, Magellanic clouds were thought to be the closest galaxies to our Milky Way. These clouds are composed mostly of different gaseous elements, and are much rich in helium and hydrogen. Magellanic clouds orbiting our galaxy - began to approach us.
This approach is a signal that the collision of these galaxies with the Milky Way is about to come. Perhaps this collision has already begun. There are first signs of a merger. It has been proven that new stars form during collisions of galaxies. The long trace of gas originating from the Magellanic Clouds, and what astronomers call the "Magellanic Stream" - runs through the galactic south pole of our galaxy. And in that space, on the fringes of our galaxy and near the Magellanic stream, astronomers have found a new star cluster. Scientists have discovered that the young stars of this set are composed of material from the Magellanic stream. Learn Astronomy and Astrophotography.
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