Magellanic Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Magellanic Bridge is a stream of neutral hydrogen
that links the two Magellanic Clouds
. It is mostly a low-metallicity
gas feature, though a few star
s have been found inside it. It should not be confused with the Magellanic Stream
, which links the MCs to the Milky Way
.
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
that links the two Magellanic Clouds
Magellanic Clouds
The two Magellanic Clouds are irregular dwarf galaxies visible in the southern hemisphere, which are members of our Local Group and are orbiting our Milky Way galaxy...
. It is mostly a low-metallicity
Metallicity
In astronomy and physical cosmology, the metallicity of an object is the proportion of its matter made up of chemical elements other than hydrogen and helium...
gas feature, though a few star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
s have been found inside it. It should not be confused with the Magellanic Stream
Magellanic Stream
The Magellanic Stream is a high-velocity cloud of gas connecting the Large and the Small Magellanic Clouds. It came into existence by a near-collision of both galaxies some 2.5 billion years ago.-Discovery and early observations:...
, which links the MCs to the Milky Way
Milky Way
The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains the Solar System. This name derives from its appearance as a dim un-resolved "milky" glowing band arching across the night sky...
.