how do stars move around in galaxies?

Question

I know that they, obviously, encircle the galactic centre, but how do nearby stars interact with one another? Do they sometimes collide and if so how often?

Is their motion ordered or chaotic?

Answer 1

remember that stars seems really packed in galaxies, but in reality they are many light years one from the other, take the Sun for example, in the last 4.5 billion years (sun and earth birthtime) we did 15 complete revolutions around the galactic core of the Milky way (our Galaxy has 300 million years of revolution period), so we are pretty safe from star collisions problems.

Probably near the galactic core stars collide very often (in million years scale of course), and no stable solar systems are possible.

Answer 2

Stars orbit thier galactic center, and many outside the galactic nucleus are often congrigated in spiral arms.

Stars in Large eliptical glaxies also orbit the galactic nucleus.

The same is true for irregular galaxies and dwarfs like the magelanic clouds.

Einstien's General Reletivity shows that a circular
orbit is the shortest path around a large mass, just as
earth and the planets orbit the sun. In reality orbits are often slightly imperfect or eliptical. Comets orbit with highly irregular orbits, being further influenced and as they pass planets and asteriods.

Galactic centres constitute a large centralised mass, in a large concentration of stars, in addition, there's evidience and much speculation about supermassive black holes at the center of most galaxies.


I've heard of galaxies colliding, even merging, but space IS mostly EMPTY space, at least in practical terms for this discussion, and it might be rare for a star or a planetary system like ours to collide with another.

It's been speculated that Andromeda will eventually collide
with our own Milky way, further speculation has it that our sun could be flug far out, on it's own into the void of intergalatic space, the US will likley still be fighting in "I-rack" at that time with a distant future decendant of Dubya Bush still in charge,.

From our narrow perspective, and vantage point it might all appear tottaly caotic, but from outside, perhaps quite predictable, along the same lines as the flow or splash of water.

Luv U all, ba bye,,,

Answer 3

Well so so far the ones we have observed are moving in a clockwise direction. If anyone knows different please correct me on this. Also we have observed supermassive black holes at the center of everygalaxy we have seen. The stars at the center are moving at very rapid speeds and the one at the edge are moving a lot slower thousands of miles an hour. Oh and no they don't bump into each other. Galaxies collide all the time with no appaerent damage to each others planets or stars.

Answer 4

Hi. It would look chaotic. Stars travel through the plane of the galaxy as well as orbiting the center. Other stars perturb these orbits. Most stars travel in a very convoluted path over long time scales.

Answer 5

The Universe is a moving revolving structure .Masses are all structured the same way. That is that they all revolve in unison relative the center of mass of the mass system structure.

The gravitational system is analogous to a merry go around,that is rotating but there is no collision beween the Horsies. Tis is because they are all moving to gether in Unison. This phenomena was address by Galileo .He called it the Principle of Relativity.

The Earth moves with the Sun in pace at a velocity close to d275 kilometer per seconds for thousands of year and has never collided with anything except debries of space called metheors.
Stars were designed to offer, a beauty that we can awe ,and also a Useful ness to determine times and season . They were not meant to colllide.
A star is" what you see is what you Get" they are real. Not something that existed thousand of years ago and no longer producing light.