Introduction
Interaction between galaxies is a common situation in the universe. The majority of galaxies have collided with other galaxies from the very moment of their occurrence. This process is very important as it leads to the evolution of the galaxies. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the hypothetical collision of the Milky Way with another large spiral galaxy. It is necessary to assess how this event might affect life on Earth. Another interesting question is how the night sky will look in the process of such a collision.
Analysis
One might think that the collision between two galaxies will lead to the numerous collisions between stars in them. In fact, the possibility of such an outcome is almost zero. The galaxies are too spacious, and their stars are located at a too-long distance from one another to collide. In ideal circumstances, two galaxies consisting only of stars can pass through one another without much impact on the stars in them.
Nevertheless, in the real world galaxies do change due to the collision. Gas and dust move to interact with other objects in the galaxies. The shock waves occurring during the collision can lead to the formation of new stars. If the Milky Way Galaxy collides with another spiral galaxy, they might merge into one elliptical galaxy (Peterson 72). Unfortunately, people cannot trace the evolution of the colliding galaxies because this process lasts for millions of years. The only possible solution is to search and observe many colliding galaxies at different points of their interaction.
Interestingly enough, many dwarf galaxies merge with the Milky Way on a regular basis. Scientists find the traces of such merges using X-ray analysis. The interaction between galaxies leaves a hot cloud of gas that exists long enough to identify its source (Bohorquez 34).
The collision of the Milky Way and another spiral galaxy will lead to prominent changes in the morphologies of both galaxies. The shock waves will force some stars out of galaxies and destroy a few others. As it is already mentioned, the spiral structures will change to one elliptical galaxy.
The fate of the Earth in the hypothetical collision is vague. The interaction between galaxies can last for millions of years. It is more likely that the changing intrinsic brightness of the Sun will affect life on Earth. In four billions of years, the temperature on the Earth will rise to a catastrophic degree. All living beings will be unable to survive on the hot surface of the planet. Therefore, the Earth might survive the collision, but the life on the planet will be endangered.
In the case of a hypothetical collision between two spiral galaxies taking place right now, the living beings on Earth will see a spectacular view of a star formation. The stars, gas, and dust will mix forming a blazing view. The merger of two galaxies will illuminate the night sky for millions of years.
Conclusion
The collision of galaxies is a common process in the universe that leads to the star formation and development of new galaxies. In the case of the collision with another spiral galaxy, the Milky Way will become a part of one elliptical galaxy. The Earth might survive the interaction between galaxies, though the process will take millions of years. The night sky on Earth will change drastically during the collision. All objects in both galaxies will create a burning view. The collisions of galaxies are very important for the understanding of interactions between such large structures.
Works Cited
Bohorquez, Omar Alfonso, and Miranda Rigoberto Casas. “Origin of the Milky Way Disk of Satellites: Collision of Two Disk Galaxies.” Tecciencia, vol. 11, no. 21, 2016, pp. 33-37.
Peterson, Bradley W. et al. “The Formation of Cluster Populations Through Direct Galaxy Collisions.” American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts, vol. 227, 2016.