AAS Meeting: Milky Way on Collision Course With Andromeda Galaxy

www.efluxmedia.com ^ | 01-07-09 | By Dee Chisamera

[Red Badger]

Since Aristotle’s first theory on the Milky Way to present times, there’s still so much astronomers need to learn about the galaxy our Solar System lies in. Over the course of time, the observations made on the Milky Way itself seemed harder to do than on any other galaxy, simply because they had to be made from within the galaxy, offering very little perspective.

That is why the latest findings by scientists at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics should come as no surprise. As it appears, not only were we wrong about the speed and weight of our Galaxy, but the likelihood of a collision with a nearby galaxy is also bigger than ever.

Astronomers have predicted that a collision between the Andromeda galaxy and the Milky Way is bound to take place. The result of that would be the formation of a new, larger galaxy..

Andromeda is a spiral galaxy of a similar size to ours, and is believed to have collided with at least one other galaxy in the past, according to specialists. Despite predictions, we shouldn’t worry though, since astronomers predicted the collision will take place in three to four billion years’ time. The European Space Agency will send the Gaia mission in late 2011 to investigate our galaxy.

Measurements have shown that Andromeda is approaching the Milky Way at almost 140 kilometers per second. The most recent study by astronomers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics suggested that our Galaxy is actually rotating 100,000 miles per hour faster than thought, which means a significant increase in mass, but also a greater gravitational pull that increases the likelihood of a collision with Andromeda or other smaller nearby galaxies.

Before the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) measurements made by scientists at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, the Milky Way was believed to be smaller than Andromeda. However, by studying the areas of star formation in our Galaxy at times when the Earth was at opposite sides of its orbit around the Sun, they were able to obtain the slight apparent shift of the object’s position against the background of more distant objects.

Karl Menten of the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Germany, a member of the team of astronomers involved in the study, said the new measurements revise their understanding of the structure and motions of the Galaxy.

These VLBA observations produce highly-accurate direct measurements of distances and motions, and astronomers found direct distance measurements to differ from earlier, indirect measurements sometimes by a factor of two.

The VLBA is a system of 10 radio-telescope antennas that stretch from Hawaii to New England and the Caribbean, and has the ability to provide the most accurate observations to date. The system is even able to produce images hundreds of times more detailed than the Hubble Space Telescope.

[Cheesel]

Wait...I meant everyone ASSUME crash positions!

I hope my insurance covers the damages caused by this...

[Adder]

Astronomers have predicted that a collision between the Andromeda galaxy and the Milky Way is bound to take place.

ai-EEEEEEEE...the sky is falling! Zero! save us!

[Doc Savage]

I hope I can TIVO it!

[Hatteras]

"since astronomers predicted the collision will take place in three to four billion years’ time. "

Crap! My BlackBerry doesn't schedule that far in advance...

[Larry Lucido]

As it appears, not only were we wrong about the speed and weight of our Galaxy

Wait, astronomers were wrong about something? Well, this completely discredits astronomy, so I guess earth IS flat, motionless, and central to everything. We'll be fine.

[Chode]

[Red Badger]

As it appears, not only were we wrong about the speed and weight of our Galaxy

At least THEY admit when they are wrong, unlike "climatologists"...........

[Red Badger]

I guess you don’t have the newest upgrade...........

[The_Victor]

Of course, I should have known. Maybe Hansen has new marching orders from Algore.

"You'd better come up with something I can use to scare them with!"

Anthropogenic galactic collisions?

[Red Badger]

Better check you home owner’s insurance for “galactic collision”..........

[6SJ7]

If we’re going to suffer a galactic collision, I guess I can forget about my New Year’s diet.

[Red Badger]

Party like it’s 19999999999999999.............

[kalee]

You will be assimilated.

[Red Badger]

I hate it when that happens........

[George Smiley]

First thing that came to my mind as well.

But I looked at the replies before posting it.

[J40000]

It’s TERRIBLE -what Bush has done to this galaxy!!!

[DuncanWaring]

Was also going to post “Bush’s Fault”, but jpl beat me to that one at #5.

[Jeff F]

This could end badly...

[ExGeeEye]

We need a crash program to figure out how to move our system out of the Milky Way, out of the path of the collision. Call it Galactic Secession.

We need at least Sol and Luna along with Earth, and if bringing Venus and Mars along for the company only costs a couple quadrillion more terabucks, then so be it-- we may yet find life on Mars, and Venus is just pretty.

OTOH I don't give two Schlitz for Mercury, and the gas giants are like Aunt Betty's sideboard-- if it don't fit in the U-Haul, we're leaving it.

99.9% income and 120% sales taxes ought to do it, doncha think?

[swarthyguy]

Thanks.

Now, in addition to the SunSpot Deficiency, and the anomalous behavior of the Earth’s magnetic field, I have another issue that people can worry about when they whine about energy, the GW/CC etc, etc.

Galactic Collision. We’re doomed.

No airbags, no seatbelts, some creator.