The Magellanic Bridge (MBR)
[ is a stream of neutral ]hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Hydrogen is the lightest element. At standard conditions hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules having the formula . It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, an ...
that links the two Magellanic Clouds
The Magellanic Clouds (''Magellanic system'' or ''Nubeculae Magellani'') are two irregular dwarf galaxies in the southern celestial hemisphere. Orbiting the Milky Way galaxy, these satellite galaxies are members of the Local Group. Because both ...
,[
] with a few known star
A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...
s inside it.Magellanic Stream
The Magellanic Stream is a stream of high-velocity clouds of gas extending from the Large Magellanic Cloud, Large and Small Magellanic Clouds over 100° through the Galactic south pole of the Milky Way. The stream contains a gaseous feature dubb ...
, which links the Magellanic Clouds to the Milky Way
The Milky Way is the galaxy that includes our Solar System, with the name describing the galaxy's appearance from Earth: a hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars that cannot be individually distinguished by the naked eye ...
. It was discovered in 1963 by J. V. Hindman et al.Large Magellanic Cloud
The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), or Nubecula Major, is a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. At a distance of around 50 kiloparsecs (≈160,000 light-years), the LMC is the second- or third-closest galaxy to the Milky Way, after the ...
(LMC) with the Small Magellanic Cloud
The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), or Nubecula Minor, is a dwarf galaxy near the Milky Way. Classified as a dwarf irregular galaxy, the SMC has a D25 isophotal diameter of about , and contains several hundred million stars. It has a total mass of ...
(SMC). This stellar bridge is of greater concentration in the western part. There are two major density clumps, one near the SMC, the other midway between the galaxies, referred to as the '' OGLE Island''.[SpaceDaily]
"Polish astronomers spot young Stellar Bridge in the Magellanic Clouds"
28 November 2014
References
External links
* SIMBAD
"Magellanic Bridge"
(accessed 12 April 2010)
Magellanic Clouds
Milky Way Subgroup
H I regions
?
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