Magellanic Cloud over Paranal

Our home galaxy, the Milky Way, is not alone; it has several smaller galaxies traveling in vast orbits around it. Among the largest of these are the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds, classed as irregular dwarf galaxies. Here, the Large Magellanic Cloud is seen in the sky as a diffuse cloud above (top-left) the peacefully observing Paranal Observatory in Chile.