Galaxy · Irregular
Large Magellanic Cloud
Large Magellanic Cloud is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Dorado, 163,100 light-years away. The brightest satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. It hosts giant star-forming regions such as the Tarantula Nebula.
| Type | Irregular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Dorado |
| Distance | 163,100 light-years (50.0 kpc) |
| Diameter | 32,300 light-years · 0.37 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −18.10 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 0.39 |
| Luminosity | 0.076 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 5h 23m 34.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −69° 45′ 22″ |
| Source | Compiled catalogue (NED, approximate values) |
In the sky
Visible to the naked eye under a dark sky (apparent magnitude 0.39). Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 20° N. South of latitude 20° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in December, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 163 thousand years ago. At that time Homo sapiens was spreading out of Africa; there was no farming yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 2.9 billion years.