Space Collisions
All bodies in space - asteroids, planets, comets, stars - are constantly in motion. A space collision occurs when two such bodies crash into each other, releasing energy and matter. As a result of scientists being able to observe galactic and stellar collisions in real time via telescope, they realize that collisions occur more often than previously thought.
Scientists speculate that our nearest adjacent galaxy, Andromeda, may one day collide with the Milky Way, swallowing us up. At the time of the big bang, when the universe was compact, collisions happened often as galaxies shot out into space.
When two bodies in space collide, their gases merge and their gravitational pulls distort their shapes until they create a combined unit. Unlike a bomb that explodes and releases energy instantly upon reaching its target, star mergers are smooth, slow processes that occur over millions of years. In 2008, the Hubble Space Telescope captured the images of two galaxies combining.
Know more:
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/galaxy/2008/16/results/100/
Reference:
http://www.howstuffworks.com/dictionary/astronomy-terms/space-collision.htm
Story via Curiosity Discovery
Image via Imgur
yikes it looks a bit like Earth where this crash has happened!
ReplyDeleteThere won't be instant fire when two planets collide or a moon with a planet. Massive debris will fly over and a huge cater is sure to happen. What if our moon falls into Pacific ocean. How much of the water will be splashed into space?
ReplyDeleteThis is a great video that explains what happens during comet, asteroid and planetary collisions, and when entire galaxies merge together.
ReplyDeleteComets, Asteroids and Planetary Collisions (FULL VIDEO)
What I find mind blowing is that when the galaxies collide the cosmologist say collisions on stars are still rare due to the distance between the stars. I could just see the gravitational forces during a collision flinging stars and planets into deep space at incredible speeds.
ReplyDeleteStefan Attaway I think you're some sort of alien =)
ReplyDeleteThat collision in the pic almost happened to earth but it was more of a glancing blow. The debris from the collision later formed our moon.
ReplyDeleteStefan Attaway Most planetary systems would also remain intact but they could be flung out of the galaxy. At least temporarily while the new galaxy settles into it's new shape. The sad part is that by the time this happens to Andromeda and our Milky Way our sun will already have grown and devoured Earth so no one will be here to see it happen.
Anders Öhlund But if somebody somehow would manage to survive, it would be a hell of a show. Simulations show that there is a small but non zero chance that the Solar System would be ejected by the Galaxy, which would provide a "birds view" of the two galaxies merging.
ReplyDeleteCorina Marinescu You found another very nice animation! I should keep it around next semester for my students.
Yes it would be a great spectacle to behold =)
ReplyDeleteThis is what's known as a "Really Bad Day".
ReplyDeleteCan we assume that the colliding body is Theia?
ReplyDeleteOh, more than likely. I'd prefer to think of it as Bronson Alpha, though. :-)
ReplyDeleteI thought Theia collided with more of a glancing blow but it isn't head on so, yeah, it probably is :-)
ReplyDeleteThere's a good xkcd what-if about collisions at high speeds, that's worth reading: http://what-if.xkcd.com/20/
ReplyDeleteThanks John.
ReplyDelete