Within the vastness of Universe, there are an infinity of stars and celestial bodies. These structures are orbiting solar systems and galaxy systems. We, here on Earth, orbit the Solar System, which, in turn, is part of the set of systems that orbit the Earth. Milky Wayour galaxy.
Currently, we have a neighboring galaxy, Andromeda, which can be seen with the naked eye with better resolution only in the northern hemisphere; and in the southern hemisphere, only at a certain time of the year, between October and December, shortly after sunset. andromeda it is now about 2.5 million light-years away from us.
All this difference in distance will reduce, and in about four or five billion years both galaxies will collide. The event on a celestial degree should cause a lot of uproar in the sky, that’s because the stars will move in different ways when the masses approach. However, the event must not be a case of destruction in the Universe.
The image above represents a projection of what the sky would look like when the galaxies were close and collided.
Although it is filled with several stars and planetary systems, much of the Universe is composed of dust and gases in empty places, which should favor billions of stars during the collision.
scheduled event
The collision of galaxies is a programmed event, since their movement path is generating a mutual attraction between them. Doctor in Cosmology and professor at the Federal Institute of Maranhão (IFMA), Rafael Christ Lopes, explained why this galactic event will take place.
“Andromeda has about 1 trillion stars, and our galaxy has approximately 200 billion. How are the two most massive systems in the local group [composto por 54 galáxias]they suffer the mutual gravitational attraction, that is, one is attracting the other.”
The phenomenon was verified for the first time in 2012, through the Hubble Telescope, during a survey by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), when observing the movement of Andromeda. Recently, a discovery regarding galaxies may indicate that a merger of both may already be happening, as some “halos” may be touching.
The gaseous atmospheres that give rise to stars, masses of gases in the vacuum and void in the space of the Universe are known as “halos”. These spaces between galaxies may already be in contact, which would indicate a long merger process.
The collision should form a new galaxy, as part of both will be preserved by their empty spaces. However, many systems and celestial bodies will still collide, which currently is not and probably will not be a risk issue for planet Earth.
This is because, if we manage to make the planet survive all these billions of years with humans as we know it, we will still have to worry about the imminent death of the Sun, which, after consuming all the helium, will expand into a gigantic red ball and consume the Terra and the nearest planets.
Before we worry about these events, we need to worry about how we will survive the next 100 years with global warming. An event even more worrying and imminent than any galactic phenomenon.
