Around the beginning of the sixteenth century, Portuguese and Dutch sailors first ventured into southern seas. With their keen navigational interest in the skies, they noted the continuous presence of two cloud-like features, not far from the almost immediately Southern Pole. The first literature mention of these 'clouds' was in the journal written in 1520 by the Italian navigator Pigafetta on the first circumnavigation of the globe by Magalhaes (c/. Pigafetta et ai. , 1962). In honour of this exploit, the objects have since become known as the Magellanic Clouds, although the Dutch name...
Around the beginning of the sixteenth century, Portuguese and Dutch sailors first ventured into southern seas. With their keen navigational interest i...
