Our Milky Way galaxy has two large

Our Milky Way galaxy has two large 1 galaxies orbiting it. They're known as the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. And humans have been aware of the 2 of these celestial objects for at least a millennium. Recently, researchers were curious about whether our configuration is fairly 3 , or an astronomical anomaly. In other words, is our corner of the cosmos ordinary? Now a new study finds that the Milky Way and its 4 galaxies are an unusual combination, but they're not one of a kind. Astronomers in the U.K. and Australia looked at thousands of galaxies to try to find an analogue of our 5 . The search turned up two close replicas: each with a Milky Way–like galaxy accompanied by two galaxies 6 to the Magellanic Clouds. But the researchers also concluded that such arrangements are pretty rare. Only half a 7 of Milky Way–like galaxies have companions like ours. The Magellanic Clouds may be transitory features. In a few billion years the Milky Way may absorb them completely. So someday our corner of the cosmos could be pretty 8 after all.