SPACE

Small Magellanic Cloud

A new portrait of the Small Magellanic Cloud reveals our galactic neighbor in unprecedented detail. The picture, taken in infrared light by NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope, is helping astronomers better understand the life cycle of dust in the galaxy.

Understanding where dust comes from, how it forms bodies such as planets, and how it gets dispersed in the spaces between objects can result in new insights into galaxy formation. And the Small Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy close to the Milky Way, is an analog for some of the tiny galaxies that first populated the universe. Taken from National Geographic via NASA January 6, 2010

See pictures other space pictures below and a video of outstanding space pictures and the planets. Turn on the sound and use wide screen for best viewing.