What Is the Local Group, What Is the Biggest Galaxy In the Local Group, and How Many Other Galaxies Are There?

The Local Group is a cluster of about thirty galaxies which includes the Milky Way.

Even with the naked eye, we can see beyond our galaxy to others in the Local Group.

Our twin galaxy Andromeda is visible even though it is more than 2 million light-years away.

The Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy are the biggest galaxies in the Local Group.

The Large and Small Magellanic Cloud barred galaxies are one-third and one-sixth the size of our galaxy, respectively, but are the brightest galaxies visible without telescopic equipment.

The larger cloud, 169,000 light-years away, is connected to the smaller, 190,000 light-years away, by a stream of gas and dust some 300,000 light-years long.

The Triangulum Spiral, nicknamed the Pinwheel, which lies at the outer edge of the Local Group, some 2.9 million light-years away, can’t quite be seen with the naked eye, but can be viewed through binoculars.