How to Find the Large & Small Magellanic Clouds in the Constellations

Stand outside on a dark, clear night, preferably in a rural location far from city lights. Allow 10 to 15 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the darkness.

Face directly south and scan the sky upward from the horizon. Locate the Southern Cross, which comprises four bright stars in the shape of a Latin cross. This small but striking constellation lies within the plane of the Milky Way and is on the opposite side of the South Celestial Pole from the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds.

Draw an imaginary line from the top star to the bottom star on the long axis of the Southern Cross, and extend it for approximately five full lengths. This line will point you toward the Small Magellanic Cloud, which is a faint smudge at the corner of the beak-shaped constellation Tucana. The Small Magellanic Cloud is about 2 degrees across ̵2; or the width of your thumb held at arm̵7;s length ̵2; and appears right next to Tucana̵7;s very bright globular cluster 47 Tucanae.

Look for the constellation Hydrus, which is visible as a skewed triangle between the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. Stars 2 and 3 of Hydrus make up the shortest side of this triangle; they point directly to the Large Magellanic Cloud, which appears as a bright smudge between the constellations of Dorado and Mensa. The Large Magellanic Cloud is about 5 degrees across ̵2; or half the length of your fist held at arm̵7;s length ̵2; and looks like a small fragment of the Milky Way. The constellation Volans, also known as the Flying Fish, is near the Large Magellanic Cloud; it looks a little like a kite with a short tail.