Magellanic Bridge

The Magellanic Bridge is a stream of gas and stars connecting the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, formed through their gravitational interaction.

Large Magellanic Cloud: The largest satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, containing a prominent bar and active star-forming regions. Its gravitational interaction with the Small Magellanic Cloud helped draw out the Bridge.
Ram pressure stripping: The removal of gas from a galaxy as it moves through surrounding hot gas. It may help shape the Bridge’s gas as the Clouds move through the Milky Way’s halo.
Magellanic Bridge young stars: Young stars found in the gas-and-star structure connecting the Magellanic Clouds. Their ages show that star formation has occurred within the Bridge itself.
Magellanic Clouds orbit: The paths of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds around each other and the Milky Way. Different orbital histories predict different ages and shapes for the Bridge.
Small Magellanic Cloud: A dwarf galaxy orbiting the Milky Way and paired gravitationally with the Large Magellanic Cloud. Gas and stars stripped from it make up much of the Bridge.
Tidal tail: An elongated stream of stars and gas pulled from a galaxy during a gravitational encounter. The Bridge is a nearby example of tidal debris linking interacting galaxies.
SMASH survey: The Survey of the MAgellanic Stellar History, a wide-field study of stars in the Magellanic system. Its stellar maps help distinguish Bridge stars from foreground Milky Way stars.
Milky Way corona: The hot, diffuse gas halo surrounding the Milky Way. Its density affects how much Bridge gas is stripped or slowed.
Magellanic Stream: A long trail of gas extending behind the Magellanic Clouds across the sky. It is another tidal structure produced by the Clouds’ interactions.
Neutral hydrogen: Hydrogen atoms that retain their electrons and emit a characteristic 21-centimeter radio signal. Radio observations map the Bridge’s extensive reservoir of neutral gas.

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Magellanic spiralBroader topic: It shows how close encounters can reshape the gas and structure of Magellanic galaxies.