U.S.A.
Everyone Else
Health
Science
Business
Technology
Sports
Video Games
Entertainment
Future
NEWS > SCIENCE > SCIENTISTS EXPECT MILKY WAY TO SURVIVE ASSAULT FROM OPPOSING GALAXIES
SCIENTISTS EXPECT MILKY WAY TO SURVIVE ASSAULT FROM OPPOSING GALAXIES
September 9 2009
Cleveland, OH – The Universe is safe, at least for now. That is the conclusion now being drawn by astronomers and scientists at Ohio State University who have been studying the approach of a number of rogue galaxies currently moving towards our
own. The news comes as a great relief to many, including those who had been predicting doom for our galaxy, as the approach of 20-25 dwarf galaxies started to become more and more of a reality.
Many astronomers has predicting that the encroaching galaxies would, upon colliding with the Milky Way, cleave our galaxy in two, sending stars and planets careening out of control and damning Earth to a fiery death. New evidence found by researchers at the University indicates that our massive galaxy will likely consume the smaller systems and add them to its own distinctiveness. Though that comes as a relief to many the possibility that another galaxy could one day threaten our borders has many concerned. For now though, our existence seems to be safe.
“Our simulations showed that the satellite galaxy impacts don't destroy spiral galaxies — they actually drive their evolution, by producing this flared shape and creating stellar rings — spectacular rings of stars that we've seen in many spiral galaxies in the universe,” said
Stelios Kazantzidis, an astronomer at Ohio State University. “The collision with Andromeda is a collision between two essentially equal-mass galaxies, whereas satellite bombardment involves encounters with much smaller systems compared to the Milky Way. We can't know for sure what's going to happen to the Milky Way, but we can say that our findings apply to a broad class of galaxies similar to our own.”
The galactic fender bender will however mean destruction to the smaller galaxies and any life that might exists on the bodies within her. Astronomers though seem to have little sympathy for the destruction that will be wrought on the smaller systems.
“One can’t get too worked up over the destruction of another galaxy especially when it is the one threatening us. They are coming into our territory and trying to affect us but the cold hard reality is the Milky Way is a monster of a galaxy and their challenge to our dominance in the universe is their own. If that causes their destruction, well than that’s what it does. It’s their fault after all,” said Scrape TV Science analyst Dr. Howard Poe. “That’s not to say that the Milky Way is the strongest or most dominant galaxy in the universe and there are many that could run over us without a second thought but in this particular case we are the ones 
being attacked We are defending ourselves from these assaults and they are getting what they deserve.”
The addition of the new galaxies will likely increase the size and power of the Milky Way, making it more likely to encounter threats from larger galaxies in the future.
“That’s where things get really difficult. Everyone wants to be the king and those who are want to keep the crown. If a larger and more powerful galaxy sees us a threat they could very well come knocking and I’m sure they won’t have anything nice to say,” continued Poe. “That means we either have to start consuming smaller systems in a more aggressive manner and thereby increase our power quickly, or we need to become more aggressive and potentially ambush another much larger galaxy and grow our power overnight.”
Astronomers are not officially responsible for the actions of the galaxy.
Anna Phillips, Science Correspondent
NEWS > SCIENCE > SCIENTISTS EXPECT MILKY WAY TO SURVIVE ASSAULT FROM OPPOSING GALAXIES
|
