this post was submitted on 24 Jan 2024
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Yeah. Did you know that Andromeda Galaxy will collide with Milky Way in 4.5 billion years? Gotta watch out for that one as well.
That likely won't cause any problems because of the sheer volume of empty space between stars.
But anyways, disingenuous argument much? 2 years in the grand scheme of things is not a long time away.
You may be pretty heavily discounting the influence of gravity.
I do not think that risk of collision based on current trajectory is the only thing to consider.
I'm not an astronomer so I might be wrong, but wouldn't the gravitational influence of stars from Andromeda in the Milky Way still be negligible, again because of much empty space there is?
Gravity is not just attraction to the closest thing but also the heaviest thing.
As the galaxies “pass” each other, all stars will be attracted to the dense cores of each galaxy. That is going to change the trajectory of individual stars and, as an aggravate effect, the overall shape and distribution. Unless the galaxies are aligned on the same angle, this is going to drag stars off the primary plane.
As the galaxies approach, the arms will stretch out to each other. As they pass through each other, the planes will tug on each other, and after they “exit”, the arms will reach back.
All this new motion will disrupt the natural shape and trajectory of the galaxy as a whole. Depending on the momentum, it could get pulled back and the whole process could happen again ( and again ) with greater disorder each time.