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Glite Dictionary
Magellanic Clouds

Magellanic Clouds

8.3
Two small irregular galaxies that orbit the Milky Way and are visible in the southern sky
  • noun
  • /məˈdʒɛlənɪk klaʊdz/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Nubes de Magallanes
  • Astronomers study the Magellanic Clouds to learn more about galaxy formation and evolution.
  • Large and Magellanic Clouds
  • Magellanic Clouds, satellite galaxies
  • Magellanic Clouds, satellite

Examples

  • One of the four European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescopes (VLT) with the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds in the background.

    Blog text (30)

  • One of the four European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescopes (VLT) with the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds in the background.

    Blog text (30)

  • The Large Magellanic Clouds and the Small Magellanic Clouds are best seen from the Southern Hemisphere.

  • You can spot the Magellanic Clouds when looking up at the night sky, especially during certain seasons.

Surface Forms

Magellanic Clouds plural
Magellanic Cloud singular

Morphology

Magellanic + cloud

Although the parts 'Magellanic' (named after Magellan) and 'cloud' are individually understandable, their combination is an eponymous, domain-specific name for two dwarf galaxies; a B1 learner who knows the constituents would not infer 'irregular dwarf galaxies orbiting the Milky Way.' The phrase functions as a proper noun in astronomy and its referent is specialised rather than compositionally predictable.

Etymology

Magellanic Clouds comes from the explorer Ferdinand Magellan because his sailors saw two bright patches in the southern sky. Those patches looked like clouds, so the name stuck and today it refers to the two small galaxies that move around the Milky Way.