A stroboscopic projection of a numerical simulation of a possible orbit of the Triangulum galaxy around Andromeda. These simulations suggest that Triangulum will eventually be devoured by its massive neighbour, contributing to the ongoing formation of the Andromeda Galaxy (see second page of story for the video).
Credit: NRC Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics
SYDNEY: Astronomers have for the first time captured a spectacular merger between our nearest large galactic neighbours, the galaxies Andromeda and Triangulum.
Cannibalism of smaller galaxies has long been thought to be the mechanism by which large galaxies grow. The research, published in the British journal Nature, confirms this and surprisingly also caught Andromeda in the process of dismembering its near neighbour, the large spiral galaxy Triangulum.
"Andromeda is basically going to eat the third largest galaxy in the Local Group," co-author, astrophysicist Geraint Lewis from the University of Sydney, in Australia, told Cosmos Online.
Unexplored outskirts
The international team, led by Alan McConnachie, from the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics in Penticton, British Columbia, used the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, situated on the summit of Hawaii's Mauna Kea to map the outskirts of Andromeda in unprecedented detail.
"We mapped Andromeda's unexplored outskirts for the first time and found stars and giant structures that are remnants of smaller galaxies, which have been incorporated into Andromeda as part of its ongoing growth," said Lewis.
The study has produced the broadest and deepest image made of a galaxy and shows that galaxies are much larger than we suspected, the researchers say. The survey will eventually cover more than 300 square degrees of sky.
"Andromeda is considered by astronomers to be a typical galaxy, so it's surprising to see how vast it really is. We found loosely bound stars at distances up to a hundred times the radius of the large galaxy's central disk," said Lewis.
Stripping the outer layers
The survey also revealed that Andromeda had ripped millions of stars from Triangulum's outer layers the last time it passed by, leaving a characteristic trail of bright stars behind (see a video simulation at the end of the story).
Triangulum, known as M33, is about three million light-years away, while Andromeda (M31) is 2.5 million light-years distant and is the largest galaxy in our Local Group. It can be seen with the naked eye in the constellation of Andromeda.
"Around M31 there is this train wreck of pieces of disrupted objects everywhere, much more than we expected," said Lewis. Over timescales of millions to billions of years the two galaxies will eventually merge, with Andromeda coming out on top, he said.
hi
and if there have any life forms they will be destroyed?
The law of the Universe
One of the biggest laws of this Universe is that the stronger beats the weaker - and no one cares how many lives are destroyed (even complete civilizations). Not even God. Not because of being negligent but because that is the way it goes. There must be something that is much more important than preserving highly developed biological life.
Evolution of Creation - maybe.
Now have a look at Earth :)