theoretically (galaxies colliding)

[slipknotpsycho]

what would happen if two galaxies collided....

if space is infinite (which and alot of others believe) then technically, the galaxies may not be stationary and moving themselves... so what would (could, or what do you think) happen if two of them collided?

[2600HERTZ]

They would explode and create another galaxy or a black hole.

And all of our animals would have 7 heads and eat only cabbage.
And tiny e would finally be able to lift the HUUUUUUUGE salt shaker.

[Skink]

it would become a super galaxy...

[420ultimatesmokage]

The milky-way and Andromeda galaxy are going to collide in about 7 billion years. Most of the stars in the galaxy will fly right past each other(a galaxy is mostly empty space). Lots of them will be thrown out into deep space. The super massive black hole in each galaxy will spiral inward towards each other creating a even larger super massive black hole. here are some videos about the impending collision

This one will give you a more in depth explanation
YouTube - Milky way vs. Andromeda (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpzAyEpouUw)
This one is just a graphic simulation
YouTube - Milky Way/Andromeda (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEI14zp-aJ0&mode=related&search=)

[geonagual]

maybe they merge into each other.

[Gatekeeper777]

The milky-way and Andromeda galaxy are going to collide in about 7 billion years. Most of the stars in the galaxy will fly right past each other(a galaxy is mostly empty space). Lots of them will be thrown out into deep space. The super massive black hole in each galaxy will spiral inward towards each other creating a even larger super massive black hole. here are some videos about the impending collision

This one will give you a more in depth explanation
YouTube - Milky way vs. Andromeda (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpzAyEpouUw)
This one is just a graphic simulation
YouTube - Milky Way/Andromeda (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEI14zp-aJ0&mode=related&search=)

excellant post, i saw the whole show.
its an hour long. most amazing thing in the universe. a cosmic train wreck. Thats what it will look like.

[SkatePopwar]

that would be crazy i wonder if everyone would die. hitting another planet would suck

[Gatekeeper777]

Earth was hit by another planet the size of mars. they say we got the moon out of the deal and a new Earth.
the original Earth Earth mark 1 was wiped out along with any trace of life it may have had.
after the collision earth mark 2 formed along with our moon and the rest they say is history.
Will it happen again? Absolutely.
When? thats any ones guess.

[Oneironaut]

There's nothing theoretical about it. Galaxies collide all the time.

[Oneironaut]

Earth was hit by another planet the size of mars. they say we got the moon out of the deal and a new Earth.
the original Earth Earth mark 1 was wiped out along with any trace of life it may have had.
after the collision earth mark 2 formed along with our moon and the rest they say is history.
Will it happen again? Absolutely.
When? thats any ones guess.

Well, it's very unlikely something of that size would hit the Earth in the few billion years our planet has left to live. All the larger objects in our solar system with unstable orbits have already crashed into other things or fallen into the sun. The only things left in our neighborhood that are as big as a planet are the planets themselves and their moons, which have survived this long because they have achieved orbits that prevent them from smashing into things.

[Gatekeeper777]

not to mention the unkown orbits of bodies in the ort cloud only a few bodies have been discovered there and they estimate that there are thousands there the size of pluto. the orbits can take thousands of youears to compleate so you never know what can happen considering that planetary observation is still very promitive. Also you must take inco account of a varied gravitational flux by passing planets on ort cloud objects as well as passing stars.
They all have a gravitational effect on extra-planetary bodies. All it takes is just a tiny tug and its like a pool table on the break and earth is behind the 8 ball.
Any cosmologist or geologist will tell you its only a matter of time.

[Oneironaut]

Well yeah, it's only a matter of time before the Earth gets hit by something, but something the size of Mars seems pretty unlikely. We haven't been hit by something that big in at least 3-4 billion years (when the universe was a much much much much more hectic and chaotic place), and Earth only has another 5 billion years or so left.

It's not just a tiny tug that will send a large, planet-sized object from the Oort Cloud into the inner solar system. It would take a huge push, according to Isaac Newton. Most of the things out there are smaller and more reactive to small tugs, which is why we see so many comets and so few giant ice planets coming out of nowhere.

In any case, I don't see interplanetary collisions as a serious threat to our species. In all likelihood, a huge collision is not going to happen in the next couple hundred years, and if we don't wipe ourselves out by then I'm sure we'll have the technology to prevent or at least flee such a collision.

[Gatekeeper777]

they have allread worked out the numbers to avoid a collsion. they need at minimum 5 years notics. in otherwords at the curent point in time its immpossible cuz most times we only have a month if we are lucky.
An object the size of mars unlikely but the object to hit earth ond kill off the dinosaurse was only expected to be 1 km and you know there are thousands of them. as well as hundreds of long orbiting and short earth crossing comets and astroids.

On July 9, 2002, MIT astronomers discovered 2002 NT7, a 2 km-wide space rock in a curious orbit. Unlike most asteroids, which circle the Sun in the plane of the planets, 2002 NT7 follows a path that is tilted 42 degrees. It spends most of its time far above or below the rest of the solar system. Every 2.29 years, however, the asteroid plunges through the inner solar system not far from Earth's orbit.

After a week of follow-up observations, researchers did some calculations. There was a chance, they concluded, that 2002 NT7 might hit our planet on February 1, 2019. The odds of impact: 1-in-250,000.

also see..
News Article: 1997XF11 and its possible hazard to the Earth. (http://impact.arc.nasa.gov/news_detail.cfm?ID=60)

[iwantFUEGO]

I dont believe that space is infinite...

I lean more toward believing in dimensions.

If you observe carefully, physics is very consistent in the universe.

Our atoms have particles orbiting them and also exhibit attractive forces.

What if our universe is nothing more than than the "liver" of some crazy huge being that lives in the dimension above us... and in the dimension below us, there are whole civilizations living on 50% of the atoms in our bodies.

What if these "galaxies" are actually specialized inside of a huge cell to carry out different functions just like in our cells. Do you really think that we as humans will ever be able to see that big of a picture?

Thats like the civilization on our atoms trying to see us....

:S5:

[Amun]

galaxies wouldnt collide.


...the multiverse is constantly growing. it has only been growing since the day it was created. erverything is moving father appart.......i dont really think that would be a realistic thing to expect.

but hell, im no astronomer....

[420ultimatesmokage]

they have allread worked out the numbers to avoid a collsion. they need at minimum 5 years notics. in otherwords at the curent point in time its immpossible cuz most times we only have a month if we are lucky.
An object the size of mars unlikely but the object to hit earth ond kill off the dinosaurse was only expected to be 1 km and you know there are thousands of them. as well as hundreds of long orbiting and short earth crossing comets and astroids.

On July 9, 2002, MIT astronomers discovered 2002 NT7, a 2 km-wide space rock in a curious orbit. Unlike most asteroids, which circle the Sun in the plane of the planets, 2002 NT7 follows a path that is tilted 42 degrees. It spends most of its time far above or below the rest of the solar system. Every 2.29 years, however, the asteroid plunges through the inner solar system not far from Earth's orbit.

After a week of follow-up observations, researchers did some calculations. There was a chance, they concluded, that 2002 NT7 might hit our planet on February 1, 2019. The odds of impact: 1-in-250,000.

also see..
News Article: 1997XF11 and its possible hazard to the Earth. (http://impact.arc.nasa.gov/news_detail.cfm?ID=60)

Even worse is apophis, it is going to have a 1 in 45,000 chance of hitting earth in 2029
99942 Apophis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/99942_Apophis)
Impact event - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact_event#Near_misses_and_forecasts)

[slipknotpsycho]

see i never knew they were always colliding tho o.0

[madeline]

Galaxies have in the past and still DO collide and there are also large objects in our solar system that can still do us harm even though they are not currently in line to hit us. Gravity changes all the rules of nice and neat orbits and anything passing by can knock them out of their current and presumably safe orbits. Even a passing star can stir up the oort cloud and send a planetary size comet our way...it's not a matter of if, but WHEN!

[Gatekeeper777]

a rogue comet the size of pluto coming at me at 67,000 miles per second still will mess up your day, but the odds of it actually happening in my lifetime are relitively low.

[Bob the Awesome]

I dont believe that space is infinite...

I lean more toward believing in dimensions.

If you observe carefully, physics is very consistent in the universe.

Our atoms have particles orbiting them and also exhibit attractive forces.

What if our universe is nothing more than than the "liver" of some crazy huge being that lives in the dimension above us... and in the dimension below us, there are whole civilizations living on 50% of the atoms in our bodies.

What if these "galaxies" are actually specialized inside of a huge cell to carry out different functions just like in our cells. Do you really think that we as humans will ever be able to see that big of a picture?

Thats like the civilization on our atoms trying to see us....

:S5:

Holy crap I've seriously thought up the same thing before... that's insane. I remember telling my friends that idea when I was in 9th grade, they all thought I was insane.