Because the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is our closest neigh- bor galaxy, it has been studied extensively. A satellite of the Milky Way, it orbits our galaxy in much the same way the Moon orbits the Earth. Although the SMC has only 1/100 the mass of the Milky Way, it contains many young stars and has a denser concentration of gas than our galaxy; it is a dwarf irregular galaxy.
In the Southern Hemisphere the SMC is visible to the naked eye. It, along with its larger cousin, the Large Magellanic Cloud, was first discoveredΓÇöat least for EuropeansΓÇöin 1519 by Ferdinand Magellan.
