Fig. 1. Sketch of the LMC in its orbit around the Milky Way. The values for the orientation and the motion of LMC are given in Sect. 2. Note that both the inclination and the direction of motion still have residual uncertainties, so that the rotation axis of the LMC need not be perpendicular to the LMC motion through the Milky Way halo. The plane of the LMC is almost perpendicular to the plane of the figure and the LMC rotates clockwise with the leading edge going into the plane of the figure. The SMC is (in this sketch) somewhat in front of the plane of the figure. The general location of the Magellanic Stream, which lies just a little in front of the plane of the figure, is indicated.

If the plane of the LMC is not aligned with the motion, gas at the leading edge may spill over the edge. One may speculate that something like the L-component (as described by Luks & Rohlfs 1992) could be the result. During periods of such misalignment, turbulence in the halo may increase, possibly producing more pronounced blobs of gas in the Magellanic Stream