Table of Contents
- 1 What would happen if the Andromeda Galaxy a spiral about the same size as the Milky Way galaxy collided with the Milky Way?
- 2 When Andromeda crashes into the Milky Way what kind of galaxy will it form?
- 3 How close is the Andromeda galaxy to the Milky Way?
- 4 What will happen when the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies collide?
- 5 Will M33 hit the Milky Way or Andromeda first?
- 6 How many light years away is the Andromeda Galaxy?
What would happen if the Andromeda Galaxy a spiral about the same size as the Milky Way galaxy collided with the Milky Way?
What would happen if the Andromeda Galaxy (a spiral about the same size as the Milky Way Galaxy) collided with the Milky Way? The two galaxies would pass through each other, the stars sailing past each other unharmed, and the interstellar gas and dust clouds would collide to produce a burst of star formation.
When Andromeda crashes into the Milky Way what kind of galaxy will it form?
A series of studies published in 2012 showed that – rather than glancing off each other, as merging galaxies sometimes do – our Milky Way galaxy and the Andromeda galaxy will in fact merge to form a single big elliptical, or football-shaped, galaxy. View larger.
Why is the Andromeda galaxy moving toward us?
Answer: The Andromeda and Milky Way galaxies are moving toward each other due to mutual gravitational attraction. This mutual gravity force is stronger than the force which causes the expansion of the Universe on the relatively short distances between Andromeda and the Milky Way.
How close is the Andromeda galaxy to the Milky Way?
2.5 million light years
At 2.5 million light years from Earth, it is the nearest galaxy to our Milky Way.” Thank you, Randy!
What will happen when the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies collide?
This animation depicts the collision between our Milky Way galaxy and the Andromeda galaxy. Hubble Space Telescope observations indicate that the two galaxies, pulled together by their mutual gravity, will crash together about 4 billion years from now. Around 6 billion years from now, the two galaxies will merge to form a single galaxy.
What is the halo surrounding the Andromeda Galaxy?
NASA reported on this study earlier this year, calling it “the most comprehensive study of a halo surrounding a galaxy.” The Andromeda galaxy, our Milky Way and other galaxies all sit enshrouded in a large envelope – a so-called galactic halo – which consists of gas, dust and stray stars.
Will M33 hit the Milky Way or Andromeda first?
There is a small chance that M33 will hit the Milky Way first. This illustration shows the collision paths of our Milky Way galaxy and the Andromeda galaxy. The galaxies are moving toward each other under the inexorable pull of gravity between them.
How many light years away is the Andromeda Galaxy?
Not taking the halo in account, the bulk of the Andromeda galaxy is now about 2.5 million light-years away from us, and getting closer all the time. As stated above, as the Andromeda galaxy comes closer, it will appear larger in our sky.