Magellanic Cloud
noun
Mag·el·lan·ic Cloud
ˌma-jə-ˈla-nik- 
chiefly British ˌma-gə-
: either of the two nearest galaxies to the Milky Way system:
Examples of Magellanic Cloud in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
What might look like sparkling wisps of candy floss, or cotton candy, are dusty gas clouds in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy, as imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope.
—
Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 13 May 2025
Turns out, the nearest supermassive black hole to be found outside our own Milky Way Galaxy lies shockingly close, only 158,000 light years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
—Bruce Dorminey, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
Partly that's because any such black hole should lie at the center of the Large Magellanic Cloud, but its center is not well-defined.
—Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 6 Mar. 2025
That’s why the team focused on the Magellanic Cloud (SMC).
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 20 Feb. 2025
The petals of a cosmic Valentine's Day flower are unfurled in this image taken by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, revealing the most detailed X-ray image ever of the great star-forming nebula 30 Doradus in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 14 Feb. 2025
The discovery of supernova remnants in the outskirts of the Large Magellanic Cloud confirms that stellar explosions can happen beyond a galaxy's main body.
—Victoria Corless, Space.com, 11 Feb. 2025
This image from the James Webb Space Telescope features a bright H II region in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of our Milky Way.
—Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 19 Dec. 2024
But with the inclusion of the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way that is the fourth largest in the Local Group, those chances dropped back down to a coin flip.
—Bydaniel Clery, science.org, 9 Aug. 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 13 May 2025
Turns out, the nearest supermassive black hole to be found outside our own Milky Way Galaxy lies shockingly close, only 158,000 light years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
—Bruce Dorminey, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
Partly that's because any such black hole should lie at the center of the Large Magellanic Cloud, but its center is not well-defined.
—Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 6 Mar. 2025
That’s why the team focused on the Magellanic Cloud (SMC).
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 20 Feb. 2025
The petals of a cosmic Valentine's Day flower are unfurled in this image taken by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, revealing the most detailed X-ray image ever of the great star-forming nebula 30 Doradus in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 14 Feb. 2025
The discovery of supernova remnants in the outskirts of the Large Magellanic Cloud confirms that stellar explosions can happen beyond a galaxy's main body.
—Victoria Corless, Space.com, 11 Feb. 2025
This image from the James Webb Space Telescope features a bright H II region in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of our Milky Way.
—Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 19 Dec. 2024
But with the inclusion of the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way that is the fourth largest in the Local Group, those chances dropped back down to a coin flip.
—Bydaniel Clery, science.org, 9 Aug. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Magellanic Cloud.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Magellanic%20Cloud. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share