<P> Two smaller galaxies and a number of dwarf galaxies in the Local Group orbit the Milky Way . The largest of these is the Large Magellanic Cloud with a diameter of 14,000 light - years . It has a close companion , the Small Magellanic Cloud . The Magellanic Stream is a stream of neutral hydrogen gas extending from these two small galaxies across 100 ° of the sky . The stream is thought to have been dragged from the Magellanic Clouds in tidal interactions with the Milky Way . Some of the dwarf galaxies orbiting the Milky Way are Canis Major Dwarf ( the closest ) , Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy , Ursa Minor Dwarf , Sculptor Dwarf , Sextans Dwarf , Fornax Dwarf , and Leo I Dwarf . The smallest dwarf galaxies of the Milky Way are only 500 light - years in diameter . These include Carina Dwarf , Draco Dwarf , and Leo II Dwarf . There may still be undetected dwarf galaxies that are dynamically bound to the Milky Way , which is supported by the detection of nine new satellites of the Milky Way in a relatively small patch of the night sky in 2015 . There are also some dwarf galaxies that have already been absorbed by the Milky Way , such as Omega Centauri . </P>
<P> Two smaller galaxies and a number of dwarf galaxies in the Local Group orbit the Milky Way . The largest of these is the Large Magellanic Cloud with a diameter of 14,000 light - years . It has a close companion , the Small Magellanic Cloud . The Magellanic Stream is a stream of neutral hydrogen gas extending from these two small galaxies across 100 ° of the sky . The stream is thought to have been dragged from the Magellanic Clouds in tidal interactions with the Milky Way . Some of the dwarf galaxies orbiting the Milky Way are Canis Major Dwarf ( the closest ) , Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy , Ursa Minor Dwarf , Sculptor Dwarf , Sextans Dwarf , Fornax Dwarf , and Leo I Dwarf . The smallest dwarf galaxies of the Milky Way are only 500 light - years in diameter . These include Carina Dwarf , Draco Dwarf , and Leo II Dwarf . There may still be undetected dwarf galaxies that are dynamically bound to the Milky Way , which is supported by the detection of nine new satellites of the Milky Way in a relatively small patch of the night sky in 2015 . There are also some dwarf galaxies that have already been absorbed by the Milky Way , such as Omega Centauri . </P>
what are the clouds in the milky way
what are the clouds in the milky way
galaxies
galaxies