What would happen to us if our galaxy merged with another?

Question

Would we get affected at all? Anyone know of any theories regarding this?

Answer 1

You might change that "if" to "when." We're on a collision course with the Andromeda Galaxy right now. Of course, it's ~2 million light years away, so the "collision" won't happen for a *very* long time.

The two galaxies will likely merge into a giant elliptical galaxy which will contain most stars from both galaxies. Some stars, however, will be flung off into the intergalactic void when the merger occurs. Hopefully our sun won't be one of those....

Answer 2

There are several good images of the aftermath of colliding galaxies on the Hubble and NASA sites.
Or just hang around for another 3 billion years or so. We're on a collision course with the Andromeda Galaxy ☺

Doug

Answer 3

Galaxies are in a state of diverging from each other.
The distance between galaxies is so great that what may seem like merging galaxies probably is not.
Galaxies are an end stage in the evolution of the universe and are likely collapsing towards the galactic center.
Solar systems will eventually merge at the galactic center and enter a state of neutron star density matter.

Answer 4

Impossible to say.

Of course lots of orbits of entire solar systems around the galactic centre would be altered. Would that be bad? Probably not.

Many things may happen.
The actual colission of stars is a fairly distant possibility, since galaxies consist of an awful lot of nothing.
We might encounter some gas, debris or dark matter or so; even that will be very sparse.

Anything that gets close enough to alter orbits *inside* our solar system would cause tremendous havoc. Climate changes to say the least; changed orbits and lots of asteroids would be likely.

Do bear in mind that such mergers happen over thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of years.
It's not like you wake up one day in the middle of another galaxy.

Answer 5

Probably absolutely nothing. The distances between the stars in a galaxy are so big that stars of another galaxy could easily pass between them. There maybe a few collisions but on a galactic scale they wouldn't mean a thing.
Two galaxies are "colliding "in the sky now. The Sombrero Nebula is actually two galaxies passing through each other. There don't seem to have been an unusual number of novae.

Answer 6

When galaxies merge, it's like two clouds coming together. The stars are (generally) so far apart, that there is very little effect on them, although the galaxies themselves can become distorted & unorganized.

We've seen a few dozen galactic collisions in progress, and there *is* some increased chances of stellar collisions - but by & large, the stars themselves remain intact.

Answer 7

A wide range of things from absolutely nothing (most probable), to sterilization of the planet, depending on where we are in our orit around the galactic center relative to where the merger occurs. We are in a "habitable" region arround our galactic core. If we get to close to the core, the radiation would be lethal. If Andromeda's core gets too close to our Solar system, it's all over for Earth.

Answer 8

Our galaxy *is* merging with another. Actually, it's merging with *two* others: the Canis Minor and Saggitarius dwarf galaxies.

Answer 9

we will eventually merge with the andromeda galaxy. the two galaxies will first pass right through eachother without much happening until gravity pulls the two together violently changing the shape into a sphere. i wish i was alive to watch this happen. it will be quite a sight. well besides the whole dying part.

Answer 10

Probably nothing much at all. Stars are vast distances apart, so the likelihood of two colliding are small. We are on the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy. Stars are closer together near the center of it, so collisions are more likely.