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Story: Night sky

Large and Small Magellanic Clouds

Large and Small Magellanic Clouds

The two smudgy areas in the southern night sky are not clouds, but companion galaxies of the Milky Way. They contain thousands of stars, star clusters and nebulae, all bound together by gravitational forces.

About this item

Starry Night Photography
Photograph by Chris Picking

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How to cite this page:

John Field and Maggy Wassilieff. 'Night sky', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 24-Sep-11
URL: http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/night-sky/5/3