But don't worry. 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. Articles courtesy of Skip Derra, News Services. Back to menu Around LAS Home Science pros Earth as a telescope Astronomers, always looking for larger, more-powerful telescopes to peer into the skies with, are now using the Earth itself as a telescope platform.