Image 5-17
Small Magellanic Cloud
This Hubble Space Telescope image shows one of the most dynamic and intricately detailed star-forming regions in space. It is located 210,000 light-years away in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), a small companion galaxy to our own Milky Way galaxy. Located at the center of the region is a brilliant star cluster called NGC 346. A dramatic structure of arched, ragged filaments with a distinct ridge surrounds the cluster. The Small and Large Magellanic Clouds are diffuse, irregular galaxies that are visible to the naked eye in the southern hemisphere.
NASA, ESA, and A. Nota (STScI/ESA)
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