Large Magellanic Cloud

The Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite of our own Galaxy, is visible to the naked eye from the southern hemisphere. Because of its proximity, it can be studied in detail, and provides valuable insight into all galactic processes, especially by comparison to our own Galaxy. The most prominent gaseous nebula in the LMC is 30 Doradus, also known as the Tarantula nebula (qv). CTIO Curtis Schmidt telescope photograph.