Small Magellanic Cloud

Naked-eye dwarf companion of the Milky Way whose pulsing stars unlocked the cosmic distance ladder.

Core Principles & Analysis

• Visible to southern-hemisphere observers without a telescope, paired with the Large Magellanic Cloud.
• Henrietta Leavitt’s 1912 study of its Cepheid variables revealed the period-luminosity law used to measure the universe.
• A bridge of gas and stars links it to the LMC, evidence of their gravitational tug-of-war.

Specifications & Metrics

• GALAXY TYPE: Dwarf irregular
• DISTANCE: 200,000 light-years
• DIAMETER: ~18,000 light-years