Small Magellanic Cloud
Dwarf irregular galaxy, satellite galaxy of the Milky Way / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is a dwarf galaxy near the Milky Way.[5] Classified as a dwarf irregular galaxy, the SMC has a D25 isophotal diameter of about 5.78 kiloparsecs (18,900 light-years),[1][4] and contains several hundred million stars.[5] It has a total mass of approximately 7 billion solar masses.[6] At a distance of about 200,000 light-years, the SMC is among the nearest intergalactic neighbors of the Milky Way and is one of the most distant objects visible to the naked eye.
SMC | |
---|---|
Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
Constellation | Tucana and Hydrus |
Right ascension | 00h 52m 44.8s[1] |
Declination | −72° 49′ 43″[1] |
Redshift | 0.000527[1] |
Distance | 203.7 ± 1.5 kly (62.44 ± 0.47 kpc)[2] |
Apparent magnitude (V) | 2.7[1] |
Characteristics | |
Type | SB(s)m pec[1] |
Number of stars | 3 billion[3] |
Size | 5.78 kiloparsecs (18,900 light-years)[1] (diameter; 25.0 mag/arcsec2 B-band isophote)[4] |
Apparent size (V) | 5° 20′ × 3° 5′[1] |
Notable features | Companion dwarf to the Milky Way |
Other designations | |
SMC,[1] NGC 292,[1] PGC 3085,[1] Nubecula Minor[1] |
The SMC is visible from the entire Southern Hemisphere and can be fully glimpsed low above the southern horizon from latitudes south of about 15° north. The galaxy is located across the constellation of Tucana and part of Hydrus, appearing as a faint hazy patch resembling a detached piece of the Milky Way. The SMC has an average apparent diameter of about 4.2° (8 times the Moon's) and thus covers an area of about 14 square degrees (70 times the Moon's). Since its surface brightness is very low, this deep-sky object is best seen on clear moonless nights and away from city lights. The SMC forms a pair with the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), which lies 20° to the east, and, like the LMC, is a member of the Local Group. It is currently a satellite of the Milky Way, but is likely a former satellite of the LMC.