Large Magellanic Cloud Archives

One Bonus From the Gaia Data Release: the Rotation of the Large Magellanic Cloud

2 May , 2018 by Matt Williams

In addition to revealing the proper motion of over a billion stars in the Milky Way, the 2nd data release from the Gaia mission also revealed the proper motions of stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

Gaia Looks Beyond our Galaxy to Other Islands of Stars

15 Dec , 2017 by Matt Williams

The latest scientific finds made from the first release of Gaia data include illuminating images of the Milky Way galaxy’s neighbors.

This image shows the two "bridges" that connect the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. The white line traces the bridge of stars that flows between the two dwarf galaxies, and the blue line shows the gas. Image: V. Belokurov, D. Erkal and A. Mellinger

The Magellenic Clouds Stay Connected By A String Of Stars

8 Feb , 2017 by Evan Gough

A bridge of stars between the Magellanic Clouds helps unravel a mystery.

What is the Closest Galaxy to the Milky Way?

3 Jan , 2017 by Matt Williams

Located just 25,000 light years from our Solar System is the Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy, the closest galaxy to the Milky Way.

What are Magellanic Clouds?

8 Nov , 2016 by Matt Williams

Beyond the Milky Way Galaxy lies the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds, two bundles of stars and dust that orbit our galaxy at a distance of 160,000 and 200,000 light years.

What is the Biggest Star in the Universe?

12 May , 2016 by Fraser Cain

If our Universe could be likened to a playground, our Sun would be one of the little kids playing in it. And the big kids, it turns out, are really big!

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Fast Radio Bursts On Repeat – Aliens, Or A Rotating Neutron Star?

3 Mar , 2016 by Matt Williams

A team of scientists from CSIRO and McGill have achieved an first by being able to pinpoint the source of fast radio bursts, which have left the astronomical community baffled

Gamma Ray Bursts Limit The Habitability of Certain Galaxies, Says Study

11 Dec , 2014 by Vanessa Janek

Gamma ray bursts (GRBs) are some of the brightest, most dramatic events in the Universe. These cosmic tempests are characterized by a spectacular explosion of photons with energies 1,000,000 times greater than the most energetic light our eyes can detect. Due to their explosive power, long-lasting GRBs are predicted to have catastrophic consequences for life […]

Viewed from above, we can now see that our gaze takes across the Perseus Arm (toward the constellation Cygnus), parts of the Sagittarius and Scutum-Centaurus arms (toward the constellations Scutum, Sagittarius and Ophiuchus) and across the central bar. Interstellar dust obscures much of the center of the galaxy. Credit: NASA et. all with additions by the author.

10 Interesting Facts About the Milky Way

3 Dec , 2014 by Matt Williams

The Milky Way Galaxy is an immense and very interesting place. Not only does it measure some 120,000–180,000 light-years in diameter, it is home to planet Earth, the birthplace of humanity. Our Solar System resides roughly 27,000 light-years away from the Galactic Center, on the inner edge of one of the spiral-shaped concentrations of gas […]

Whittling Away At SN1987A

15 Nov , 2014 by Tammy Plotner

A team of Australian astronomers has been busy utilizing some of the world’s leading radio telescopes located in both Australia and Chile to carve away at the layered remains of a relatively new supernova. Designated as SN1987A, the 28 year-old stellar cataclysm came to Southern Hemisphere observer’s attention when it sprang into action at the […]

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