What is the motion of Andromeda galaxy?

What is the motion of Andromeda galaxy?

Andromeda was previously known to be approaching the Milky Way, but these new measurements of Andromeda’s lateral (or sideways) motion can be used to predict that the galaxy is destined for a head-on collision with our Milky Way.

How is the Andromeda galaxy different?

Most Messier objects are star clusters or gas clouds in our Milky Way galaxy. But the Andromeda galaxy is a whole separate galaxy, even bigger than our Milky Way. In a dark sky, you can see that it’s big on the sky as well, a smudge of distant light larger than a full moon. View at EarthSky Community Photos.

What is so special about the Andromeda galaxy?

The Andromeda galaxy is the largest in the Local Group, where the Milky Way also belongs. Not only is this galaxy large, but it is also very massive. Its diameter is around 220,000 light-years and its mass equals the mass of 1,230 billion Suns! There are about one trillion stars in the Andromeda Galaxy.

How is the Andromeda galaxy moving?

The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is indeed approaching us, by about 300 kilometers (190 miles) per second measured with respect to the Sun. The two galaxies will merge a few billion years from now. This is normal. Neighboring galaxies are bound into clusters by their mutual gravitational attraction.

Why is Andromeda moving towards the Milky Way?

Answer: The Andromeda and Milky Way galaxies are moving toward each other due to mutual gravitational attraction. This mutual gravity force is stronger than the force which causes the expansion of the Universe on the relatively short distances between Andromeda and the Milky Way.

Is Andromeda Galaxy expanding?

At a billion light-years away, the expansion of the Universe is carrying galaxies away from us at 22,000 km/s, or about 7% of the speed of light. Andromeda is only 2.5 million light-years away. Which means that the expansion of the Universe is carrying it away at only 60 kilometers per second.

Does the Andromeda galaxy have planets?

Does the Andromeda Galaxy have planets? There is currently only one very strong candidate planet in the Andromeda Galaxy, temporarily named PA-99-N2. It was detected because of a microlensing event in 1999. Finding planets outside the Solar system is extremely difficult because planets do not emit light.

How many black holes are in the Andromeda galaxy?

Follow-up observations by the European Space Agency’s XMM-Newton X-ray observatory added support to the idea that these 26 objects are indeed black holes.

Why is Andromeda moving toward us?

Based on Doppler shifting of its light, Andromeda is speeding toward us at 68 miles per second (110 kilometers per second). As Andromeda gets closer, the gravitational attraction between it and the Milky Way gets stronger and Andromeda accelerates in our direction.

How is the Milky Way different from the Andromeda Galaxy?

The rate of star formation in the Milky Way is much higher, with the Andromeda Galaxy producing only about one solar mass per year compared to 3–5 solar masses for the Milky Way. The rate of novae in the Milky Way is also double that of the Andromeda Galaxy.

What is the rotational velocity of the Andromeda Galaxy?

Spectroscopic studies have provided detailed measurements of the rotational velocity of the Andromeda Galaxy as a function of radial distance from the core. The rotational velocity has a maximum value of 225 kilometres per second (140 mi/s) at 1,300 light-years (82,000,000 astronomical units) from the core,…

How big is the Andromeda Galaxy in light years?

Remember, though, that the Andromeda Galaxy is 2.2 million light-years away, with a single light-year being almost 10 trillion kilometers (6 trillion miles). So although it does appear that this galaxy is approaching our Milky Way galaxy … it’s nothing to lose sleep over.

How are the spiral arms of the Andromeda Galaxy described?

The spiral arms of the Andromeda Galaxy are outlined by a series of HII regions, first studied in great detail by Walter Baade and described by him as resembling “beads on a string”. His studies show two spiral arms that appear to be tightly wound, although they are more widely spaced than in our galaxy.