Small Magellanic Cloud
Scientific overview
Small Magellanic Cloud is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Tucana. It shines at apparent magnitude 2.3 and spans about 299.92 arcminutes of sky.
Observation guide
Guidance follows standard observing practice, derived from the object's real magnitude and position. A dark, moonless sky always helps.
Location in the sky
Precision measurements
Distances and velocities from SIMBAD and redshift from NED · NAME SMC
| Distance | 195,694 ly | SIMBAD · catalogued |
| Physical size (major axis) | 17,073 ly | SIMBAD · derived |
| Physical size (minor axis) | 10,240 ly | SIMBAD · derived |
| Redshift (z) | 0.000486 ± 2.0014e-6 | NED · catalogued |
| Radial velocity | 145.6 ± 0.6 km/s | SIMBAD · measured |
| Right ascension (ICRS) | 13.158333 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
| Declination (ICRS) | -72.800278 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
Full field-level provenance
- Distance: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · mesDistance · dist · 2011ApJS..192....6L · distance indicator: T-F · catalogued value · source value 0.06 Mpc · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Physical size (major axis): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · derived (OpenNGC angular size × SIMBAD distance) · physical size = angular size × distance (small-angle); angular size from OpenNGC, distance from SIMBAD mesDistance · derived · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Physical size (minor axis): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · derived (OpenNGC angular size × SIMBAD distance) · physical size = angular size × distance (small-angle); angular size from OpenNGC, distance from SIMBAD mesDistance · derived · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Redshift (z): NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database · NED · ObjectLookup · Redshift · 2018ApJ...860...66M · catalogued value · NED quality UUN · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Radial velocity: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · rvz_radvel · 2012AJ....144....4M · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Right ascension (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · ra · 2003A&A...412...45P · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Declination (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · dec · 2003A&A...412...45P · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
Physical size is derived from the OpenNGC angular size and the catalogued distance (small-angle: size = angle × distance). Redshift is the object's measured redshift — a negative value is a blueshift (the galaxy is approaching, its motion dominated by local rather than cosmic expansion). Fields a source did not provide are omitted, never invented.
Other objects in Tucana
| Object | Type | Mag | Size (′) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 47 Tuc ClusterC 106 · NGC 104 | Globular cluster | 4.09 | 31.8 |
| NGC 362C 104 · NGC 362 | Globular cluster | 6.58 | 8.7 |
| NGC 330NGC 330 | Open cluster | 9.55 | 2.8 |
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- OpenNGCOpenNGC (M. Verga) — NGC/IC, Messier, and Caldwell catalogue data
Openly-licensed deep-sky catalogue: object types, positions, magnitudes, sizes, morphology, and cross-identifiers.