Visible to the naked eye from the Southern Hemisphere, the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) was named after the navigator Ferdinand Magellan. It is located about 200,000 light years from Earth.

The colours here represent a wide spectrum of light wavelengths captured by various NASA spacecraft. X-rays from the NASA Chandra X-ray Observatory are shown in purple, infrared images from the Spitzer Space Telescope are shown in red, and visible light from the Hubble Space Telescope is shown in red, green and blue.

(SMC) Because the Small Magellanic Cloud is relatively close and bright, astronomers can observe it more easily than more distant galaxies. According to new Chandra data, X-ray emission from young stars similar to the mass of our Sun has been detected. Star formations close to the "wing" of the galaxy allow astronomers to study the life cycle of stars and gas.

Image description: A bright star cluster in the centre of the image. A spiral galaxy is visible in the lower corner. A "wing" formation of the Small Magellanic Cloud is surrounded by gas and dust. Pink, blue and red stars surround the entire image.

 

Source: nasa.gov