Large Magellanic Cloud
noun
: the larger of two companion satellite galaxies near the Milky Way that is visible in the southern hemisphere and can be seen by the unaided eye
The Large Magellanic Cloud, a small satellite galaxy to our own Milky Way, is known to be poor in metals compared with the Milky Way and other galaxies, so any star that condensed in it would likely be deficient in metals, and that could make it blue.—
Dietrick E. Thomsen
Dietrick E. Thomsencalled also Magellanic Cloud
Examples of Large Magellanic Cloud in a Sentence
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These include Omega Centauri, NGC 2808 and NGC 1783 in the Milky Way galaxy, as well as NGC 411 in the Small Magellanic Cloud and NGC 1696 in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
22 June 2026
From the Large Magellanic Cloud, the closest intact galaxy beyond the Milky Way.
—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
2 Oct. 2025
In a surprising discovery, astronomers have found an enormous, shell-like structure called a nova super-remnant (NSR) in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a galaxy located approximately 160,000 light-years from Earth.
—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Sep. 2025
The Large Magellanic Cloud lies about 160,000 light-years from Earth, the Small Magellanic Cloud about 200,000 light-years away.
—
IEEE Spectrum,
16 Sep. 2025
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Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
22 June 2026
From the Large Magellanic Cloud, the closest intact galaxy beyond the Milky Way.
—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
2 Oct. 2025
In a surprising discovery, astronomers have found an enormous, shell-like structure called a nova super-remnant (NSR) in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a galaxy located approximately 160,000 light-years from Earth.
—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Sep. 2025
The Large Magellanic Cloud lies about 160,000 light-years from Earth, the Small Magellanic Cloud about 200,000 light-years away.
—
IEEE Spectrum,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Large Magellanic Cloud.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Large%20Magellanic%20Cloud. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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