Scale Comparison
The Large Magellanic Cloud is about 1.7 times wider than the Small Magellanic Cloud.
The Large Magellanic Cloud’s quoted diameter is about 1.7 times that of the Small Magellanic Cloud.
Both are irregular dwarf galaxies interacting with each other and the Milky Way. Their diffuse outskirts make any single diameter approximate, but the Large Cloud has the broader main stellar body.
Objects
The Small Magellanic Cloud is a nearby dwarf galaxy and one of the Milky Way’s closest galactic companions. Its distorted shape records repeated tidal encounters with the Large Magellanic Cloud and the Milky Way.
The Large Magellanic Cloud is a nearby satellite galaxy laced with vast star-forming regions and supernova debris. It contains the Tarantula Nebula, the most productive stellar nursery in the Local Group, and it hosted SN 1987A, the closest observed supernova since 1604.
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About
Scale of Space is a scroll-based journey through the universe, placing objects on a single logarithmic scale so you can compare size across an unbroken range.
Guides explain selected parts of that range, while focused views filter the objects by subject.