101 Must-See Cosmic Objects: Small Magellanic Cloud

Like its companion, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is a remarkable spectacle enjoyed by Southern Hemisphere astronomers. It is visible to the unaided eye as a hazy glow. But at 4° by 3° in size, it is fainter and smaller than the LMC. The neighboring clouds are located 22° apart in the sky, with the SMC the more southerly of the pair. In fact, the SMC is so far south that it remains invisible from all of North America except southernmost Mexico.