Large Magellanic Cloud

noun

: the larger of a small cluster of galaxies that is located 200,000 light-years away from the Milky Way and is visible within 25 degrees of the south celestial pole
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

called also Magellanic Cloud

Examples of Large Magellanic Cloud in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
The outburst was a stellar explosion in the Large Magellanic Cloud some 160,000 light-years away. Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 July 2024 These are called the Large Magellanic Cloud and the Small Magellanic Cloud. Dean Regas, The Enquirer, 2 Mar. 2024 It is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a satellite galaxy of our own Milky Way galaxy that is almost 200,000 light-years away from Earth. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 25 Jan. 2024 The region is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), which is a satellite galaxy of our own Milky Way. Bradford Betz, Fox News, 25 Jan. 2024 The space agency today released a picture taken by the space telescope of the Tarantula Nebula, which resides about 160,000 light years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud satellite galaxy. Michael Kan, PCMAG, 6 Sep. 2022 That’s what researchers believe happened to the binary star VFTS 243 in the nearby Large Magellanic Cloud. Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 19 July 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1852, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Large Magellanic Cloud was in 1852

Dictionary Entries Near Large Magellanic Cloud

Cite this Entry

“Large Magellanic Cloud.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Large%20Magellanic%20Cloud. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!