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Learning objectives

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

  • Explain how galaxies grow by merging with other galaxies and by consuming smaller galaxies (for lunch)
  • Describe the effects that supermassive black holes in the centers of most galaxies have on the fate of their host galaxies

One of the conclusions astronomers have reached from studying distant galaxies is that collisions and mergers of whole galaxies play a crucial role in determining how galaxies acquired the shapes and sizes we see today. Only a few of the nearby galaxies are currently involved in collisions, but detailed studies of those tell us what to look for when we seek evidence of mergers in very distant and very faint galaxies. These in turn give us important clues about the different evolutionary paths galaxies have taken over cosmic time. Let’s examine in more detail what happens when two galaxies collide.

Mergers and cannibalism

[link] shows a dynamic view of two galaxies that are colliding. The stars themselves in this pair of galaxies will not be affected much by this cataclysmic event. (See the Astronomy Basics feature box Why Galaxies Collide but Stars Rarely Do .) Since there is a lot of space between the stars, a direct collision between two stars is very unlikely. However, the orbits of many of the stars will be changed as the two galaxies move through each other, and the change in orbits can totally alter the appearance of the interacting galaxies. A gallery of interesting colliding galaxies is shown in [link] . Great rings, huge tendrils of stars and gas, and other complex structures can form in such cosmic collisions. Indeed, these strange shapes are the signposts that astronomers use to identify colliding galaxies.

Gallery of Interacting Galaxies. Panels “a” and “b” show M82 (smaller galaxy at top) and M83 (spiral) seen in a black-and-white visible light image (a) and in radio waves given off by cold hydrogen gas (b). The hydrogen image shows the two galaxies wrapped in a common shroud of gas that is being stretched by the gravity of the two galaxies. Panel “c” presents a close-up view by HST showing some of the effects of this interaction on galaxy M82, including gas streaming outward (red tendrils), powered by supernovae. In panel “d” is galaxy UGC 10214 that has been disrupted by the passage of a smaller galaxy. The interloper’s gravity pulled out the long tidal tail, which is about 280,000 light years long, and triggered bursts of star formation seen as blue clumps along the tail. Galaxies NGC 4676 A and B in panel “e” are nicknamed “The Mice.” In this HST image, you can see the long narrow tails of stars pulled away from the galaxies by the interactions of the two spirals. Panel “f” shows Arp 148, a pair of galaxies that are caught in the act of merging to become one new galaxy. The two have already passed through each other once, causing a shockwave that reformed one into a bright blue ring of star formation.
(a and b) M82 (smaller galaxy at top) and M83 (spiral) are seen (a) in a black-and-white visible light image and (b) in radio waves given off by cold hydrogen gas. The hydrogen image shows that the two galaxies are wrapped in a common shroud of gas that is being tugged and stretched by the gravity of the two galaxies. (c) This close-up view by the Hubble Space Telescope shows some of the effects of this interaction on galaxy M82, including gas streaming outward (red tendrils) powered by supernovae explosions of massive stars formed in the burst of star formation that was a result of the collision. (d) Galaxy UGC 10214 (“The Tadpole”) is a barred spiral galaxy 420 million light-years from the Milky Way that has been disrupted by the passage of a smaller galaxy. The interloper’s gravity pulled out the long tidal tail, which is about 280,000 light-years long, and triggered bursts of star formation seen as blue clumps along the tail. (e) Galaxies NGC 4676 A and B are nicknamed “The Mice.” In this Hubble Space Telescope image, you can see the long, narrow tails of stars pulled away from the galaxies by the interactions of the two spirals. (e) Arp 148 is a pair of galaxies that are caught in the act of merging to become one new galaxy. The two appear to have already passed through each other once, causing a shockwave that reformed one into a bright blue ring of star formation, like the ripples from a stone tossed into a pond. (credit a, b: modification of work by NRAO/AUI; credit c: modification of work by NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA); credit d, e: modification of work by NASA, H. Ford (JHU), G. Illingworth (UCSC/LO), M.Clampin (STScI), G. Hartig (STScI), the ACS Science Team, and ESA; credit f: modification of work by NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration, and A. Evans (University of Virginia, Charlottesville/NRAO/Stony Brook University))

Questions & Answers

A golfer on a fairway is 70 m away from the green, which sits below the level of the fairway by 20 m. If the golfer hits the ball at an angle of 40° with an initial speed of 20 m/s, how close to the green does she come?
Aislinn Reply
cm
tijani
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John Reply
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Siyaka Reply
A mouse of mass 200 g falls 100 m down a vertical mine shaft and lands at the bottom with a speed of 8.0 m/s. During its fall, how much work is done on the mouse by air resistance
Jude Reply
Can you compute that for me. Ty
Jude
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David Reply
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David
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emma Reply
what is chemistry
Youesf Reply
what is inorganic
emma
Chemistry is a branch of science that deals with the study of matter,it composition,it structure and the changes it undergoes
Adjei
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Adjanou
chemistry could also be understood like the sexual attraction/repulsion of the male and female elements. the reaction varies depending on the energy differences of each given gender. + masculine -female.
Pedro
A ball is thrown straight up.it passes a 2.0m high window 7.50 m off the ground on it path up and takes 1.30 s to go past the window.what was the ball initial velocity
Krampah Reply
2. A sled plus passenger with total mass 50 kg is pulled 20 m across the snow (0.20) at constant velocity by a force directed 25° above the horizontal. Calculate (a) the work of the applied force, (b) the work of friction, and (c) the total work.
Sahid Reply
you have been hired as an espert witness in a court case involving an automobile accident. the accident involved car A of mass 1500kg which crashed into stationary car B of mass 1100kg. the driver of car A applied his brakes 15 m before he skidded and crashed into car B. after the collision, car A s
Samuel Reply
can someone explain to me, an ignorant high school student, why the trend of the graph doesn't follow the fact that the higher frequency a sound wave is, the more power it is, hence, making me think the phons output would follow this general trend?
Joseph Reply
Nevermind i just realied that the graph is the phons output for a person with normal hearing and not just the phons output of the sound waves power, I should read the entire thing next time
Joseph
Follow up question, does anyone know where I can find a graph that accuretly depicts the actual relative "power" output of sound over its frequency instead of just humans hearing
Joseph
"Generation of electrical energy from sound energy | IEEE Conference Publication | IEEE Xplore" ***ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7150687?reload=true
Ryan
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Maurice Reply
what are the types of wave
Maurice
answer
Magreth
progressive wave
Magreth
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Muhammad Reply
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Mohammed
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Mujahid
A string is 3.00 m long with a mass of 5.00 g. The string is held taut with a tension of 500.00 N applied to the string. A pulse is sent down the string. How long does it take the pulse to travel the 3.00 m of the string?
yasuo Reply
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Source:  OpenStax, Astronomy. OpenStax CNX. Apr 12, 2017 Download for free at http://cnx.org/content/col11992/1.13
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