The Small Magellanic Cloud

Image Title: The Small Magellanic Cloud

Date image was taken: October 19, 2023

Location: Rio Hurtado Valley, Chile

Image Description and Details: The Small Magellanic Cloud
Among those who have pondered the nature of this small, fuzzy spot in the southern sky were Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan and his crew during their first circumnavigation of the Earth in the early 16th century. Over the past century, it has been discovered that this 'cosmic cloud' is actually an irregular dwarf galaxy, a satellite of our Milky Way. The Small Magellanic Cloud spans about 15,000 light-years and contains several hundred million stars. It is located approximately 210,000 light-years away from us. This image also features the globular cluster 47 Tucanae to the right

Equipment Details: Samyang 135mm f/3.5 with ZWO ASI 1600MM. 18x120s L, 3x120s RGB

Copyright: Alessandro Carrozzi

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