I heard that our Milky Way galaxy may one day collide with a neighboring galaxy. If galaxies are all moving?

Question

apart from each other, how can they collide?

Answer 1

Yes, it is predicted that the Milky Way will collide with the Andromeda galaxy in a few billion years. There are pictures of other galaxies that have collided with each other that look like galactic train wrecks. Of course by the time it happens, the sun could have already expanded and incinerated the earth or the moon could have pulled away to the point where the earth's tilt goes from 23.5 all the way as far as 90 degrees. I don't believe that humans can survive with such widely fluctuating degrees of tilt. It would wreak havoc on the climate.

Answer 2

The rate at which galaxies are moving apart grows as they are farther apart. So distant galaxies are moving away faster than closer ones. But, for the close ones, the gravitational attraction between the two galaxies can overwhelm this tendency to move apart: both because the expansion isn't so large and because the gravity is larger.

The galaxy that is going to collide with ours is the Andromeda Spiral galaxy. The predicted time for the collision is about 5 billion years from now. Even when they do collide, the individual stars won't likely collide: they are just too far apart from each other. However, the dust and gasses will condense and new stars will be formed. We see this happening in other places right now. Look on the web for the 'Antennae galaxies'.

Answer 3

In about 4 billion years the Andromeda Galaxy will "collide" with our Milky Way. However there is only a remote chance that anything in these 2 galaxies will collide, due to the shear size of the two things. Passing these 2 galaxies through one another would be like putting 2 football fields on top of eachother with a spec of sand on each and trying to get the two pieces of sand to collide. Not very likely anything bad would come from it. However due to the size and gravity of the two galaxies, they would become one. Also, although we belive that the Univerase is expanding, it does not mean that galaxies are moving away from eachother, think of the universe as a "sphere". There is no up or down left or right, and galaxies don't move at the same speed. Surely one cuoild catch up to or be caught by another galaxy. Hope this helps.

Answer 4

It's interesting that you should ask a question about that picture. It was taken with the Wide-field Infra Red Camera (WIRC) at the Palomar Observatory. That camera was built by astronomers here at Cornell and a good friend of mine was involved in the observations in which that picture was taken.

Anyway it's quite natural for galaxies to collide even though the universe is expanding - although I could see why you might get confused about it. What happens is that there is a battle between the forces of gravity between the two galaxies (which is trying to pull them together) and the expansion of the universe (which is trying to pull them apart). With galaxies that start out quite close together, it is almost always gravity that wins, so in the end the galaxies will collide. This will most likely happen to the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxy (our nearest large neighbour) in a few billion years.

It is thought that when two large spirals collide the end result is an elliptical, and that interactions with small galaxies are actually what make the spiral patterns in large spiral galaxies. It is becoming the idea that the morphology of a galaxy changes a lot over its lifetime as it interacts with other galaxies. Note that in galactic collisions stars do not collide.

Answer 5

Before our galaxy hooks up with Andromeda, we're scheduled to beat up a "dwarf spheroid" galaxy. And, get this, it's zipped through the Milky Way several times before! This is all supposed happen within another 100 million years.

And, as others have said or referred to ... there are two motions that might be confusing: the simplified large-scale "raisin bread" expansion of the universe we always hear about ... and smaller-scale motions due to effects of gravity between relatively close objects - like that dwarf galaxy and the Milky Way.

I mean, if everything responded to the simplified idea of "expansion", then nothing would stay in orbit around anything else ... it would all be flying away from each other, right? :)

Answer 6

Dear skycat, the universe is so amazing. Even galaxies move, like our Sun and all of our planets. However, you do not have to worry: it will take at least a few billion years before the Milky Way collides with Andromeda.

Answer 7

Our Galaxy, the Milky Way is part of a local cluster of galaxies and, unlike the universe as a whole, these galaxies are moving closer together. I shouldn't worry too much about the collision though, it's not going to happen for a very long time indeed.

Answer 8

Galaxies can collide with each other. The milky way is destined to collide with another galaxy pretty soon.

Answer 9

in the beginning for all people who point out that no longer something lots happens whilst those 2 galaxis collide- my respond is - no person is conscious now what would take place. in my opinion there will be lot of collision. we are talking approximately 2 great galaxis with billions of stars and planets; how is it achieveable no longer something lots happens??? i'm no longer able to belive it. there is lot of area between stars, galaxy is extremely massive bla bla bla, I agree, yet whilst such 2 galaxis bypass by using one yet another incredibly there is too many collisions. additionally gravity result will play. lots of planets would be destroyed. Stars will collide with one yet another. think of if a megastar device passes between sunlight and Alpha centauri- all planets of our image voltaic device would be destroyed + sunlight and Centauri stars will probably collide with the passisng megastar too. there is lot of area yet there are too many stars and planets too; so maximum in all risk there will be significant destruction. of direction many megastar structures would proceed to be intact. do no longer belive despite our scientists tell. Use your user-friendly experience too. They learnt so previous due approximately an asteroid hitting mars. What if it rather hits earth?? they additionally miscalculated an asteroid's threat of hitting earth in 3 hundred and sixty 5 days 2029, a 14 yrs old boy taught them the thank you to accurately estimate the threat. They concept the threat replaced right into a million in 40 5,00,000 something he confirmed rather it incredibly is a million in 450 ( my numbers would be incorrect ). relating to the biggest question here; what's going to you call whilst those 2 galaxies collide with one yet another, i visit call it as Curds or butter milk. Andromeda spoils the milk and varieties curds or butter milk. Milk can by no ability type returned from curds or butter milk. Our galaxy is long previous for ever.

Answer 10

Andromeda XII is heading our way and probably a few big ones...if there was a big bang it doesnt mean that all galaxies will move away from us in diferent directions some are moving toward us gravity also plays role..the ones that are coming our way have a blue shift... the ones that are receeding have a red shift..its all bit complex but trust me we will be fossils in a musium before they reach us.