Astronomy
Gravitational Interactions Between the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds
Quick fact
The Magellanic Stream, a 600,000-light-year-long river of gas, is being torn from the Magellanic Clouds by the Milky Way's gravitational pull, and it is so massive that it could fill millions of suns.
Why this is interesting
Our galaxy is not a static island in space—it's actively pulling apart its closest neighbours. Did you know that the Milky Way's gravity is warping its own disk because of a pair of tiny galaxies orbiting it?