Struck, who will speak about what a galactic collision might look like from Earth, helped organize the symposium with fellow ISU astronomer Lee Anne Willson. Astronomers have found that galactic collisions help generate intense rates of star birth and thus represent a fundamental process in the life of galaxies. By studying the structural details of specific types of galaxies, astronomers now believe that galactic collisions play an important role in the evolution and current form of the Universe. Andromeda is a member of our local group. In a cosmically short time, we will have a close encounter with Andromeda.
Galaxies contain billions of stars like our Sun.
A collision between two galaxies will involve the interaction of interstellar clouds. Stars would interact primarily through long-rage gravitational forces. His research has helped determine how enormously large amounts of star birth are stimulated by galaxy collisions. The Milky Way-Andromeda collision won't happen for another 500 million years. Struck said the two galaxies are in each other's grasp, but Andromeda is about 50 per cent larger than the Milky Way.