Wednesday, July 8, 2009

The Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxy may collide In about 3 billion years


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If mankind can stick it out on Earth for another two billion years, our descendants may witness quite a show in the night sky. Researchers estimate that the Milky Way will collide with its nearest neighbor, the Andromeda galaxy, at around that time—well before the sun collapses into a white dwarf, perhaps destroying the Earth in the process. This close encounter of the galactic kind could easily kick our solar system to the farthest reaches of the galaxy, and there is a small chance we might even take up residence in Andromeda.

Astronomers simulated the collision by estimating the relative speed between the two galaxies and the amount of gas and dark matter in the intervening space, which exerts a drag on their motions. Andromeda is currently 2.3 million light-years from our galaxy. Researchers know that the two neighbors are approaching each other at 120 kilometers per second, but they are far less certain of Andromeda's sideways speed. If moving fast enough to the side, it would miss us entirely.

Taking their cue from the latest models of the galaxies' structures, Andromeda would first graze the Milky Way two billion years from now, they report in a paper submitted to the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The two galactic cores would orbit each other for another three billion years before merging.

During that time, the stars making up the two spiral galaxies would slowly coalesce into a more elliptical combo galaxy, "Milkomeda" (or the Andromedy Way, if you prefer). Although most of the stars would be too sparsely spaced to bump together, one galaxy's gravity would jostle the other stars.


The fate of the sun, which is expected to last at least until the simulated merger, would depend on where it was in its 24,000 light-year-wide orbit around the galactic core. The researchers estimate that by the time the cores had fused, the solar system would have a 50 percent chance of being swept to a wispy tail extending from Milkomeda, three times further out from galactic center than it is now. There is 3 percent chance of the sun being nudged into orbit around Andromeda when the two galaxies first collide. Of course, they note, different assumptions for the simulation would likely result in different outcomes.

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Source: ScientificAmerican

--
Sam

7 comments:

danny said...

so, then we will have taken residence on other planets by this time, correct?

Anonymous said...

the world will end in 2012 anyway

Anonymous said...

The world is not gonna end in 2012. -__- it wont kill us if it collides.

Anonymous said...

I wish I could live to see this....!

Anonymous said...

uhh more like we have to be outta the galaxy in 2-3 billion years. Sure people oh your safe. hmm i dont think so. alot of planets will just get tossed out into dark empty space between galaxys and the gases that merge and circulate when the black holes do there little dance heat up and kill alot of things. IF i mean IF where lucky and beat that i doubt that you woulnd feel the tital forces messing with orbits of solar systems of in which ever one we would live in. But it will be hard to make it that long since ice age will occure befor that and we would survive that but recovering from it to be tech wise way ahead would be hard.

Anonymous said...

They would just merge, our orbital degree would be tilted, whic could result in further or closer placement to the sun or Andromeda's star. Either way the merge would not be violent as the gravitational forces would pull everything in the same direction together. Keep in mind they only move at about 120kmh, not that fast when you consider the space ratio to speed. This would be a very cool thing to experience. Although technology will develop faster than the projected collision estimate will arrive.. so a solution will be created by then.

Anonymous said...

the world isn't gonna end in 2012. It's just a Hollywood myth. It have never been said that the world is gonna end in 2012. The maya indians have come to Norway and said: "The world isn't gonna end, it's a start, not an end." Anyways... I find this interesting, unfortunaly... We wont be able to live when this happens though... Well.. cya!

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