Evidence of the monstrous behavior of the giant Andromeda Galaxy has been revealed through nearly 7,500 unusual stars, presenting a chilling scenario for the future of Earth itself.
According to Science Alert, astronomers have for the first time found concrete evidence of a “mass migration” of ancient stars into another galaxy. This involves nearly 7,500 strange stars in the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), our Milky Way’s “nearest neighbor.”
Using the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), American scientists collected spectroscopic data to map the stars within Andromeda. This map includes the movements of the aforementioned unusual stars in the inner halo of the galaxy.
Andromeda Galaxy – (Photo: ESA).
According to a paper published in the Astrophysical Journal, the position and movement patterns indicate that the 7,500 stars are not “native” to Andromeda but arrived about 2 billion years ago.
This suggests a terrifying historical event: Clearly, Andromeda has consumed another galaxy, taking these stars with it.
This behavior has also been observed in our Milky Way. It is gradually absorbing stars from its satellite dwarf galaxies, including the Large Magellanic Cloud, the Small Magellanic Cloud, and the dwarf elliptical galaxy Sagittarius. Previous studies have shown that the Milky Way has had nearly 20 such “victims.”
This new observation serves as concrete evidence supporting earlier theoretical studies about how “monstrous” galaxies in the universe, like the Milky Way and Andromeda, have achieved their impressive sizes by consuming other galaxies; it also confirms that Andromeda’s history is similar to that of the Milky Way.
“Galaxies like Andromeda and the Milky Way are built from the ‘building blocks’ of many smaller galaxies throughout cosmic history,” said astronomer Arjun Dey from the NOIRLab research center in the U.S., the lead author of the study.
Although referred to as being “swallowed,” the “foreign” stars often retain many identifying characteristics even after billions of years: distinctive metallicity, erratic movements…
In 2 to 4 billion years, up to two additional galactic collisions are predicted by scientists: one between the Milky Way and the Large Magellanic Cloud, and another with Andromeda, both of which are heading toward us. The Milky Way may continue to absorb the Large Magellanic Cloud due to its significantly larger size, while the collision with Andromeda will be challenging to predict since both are forms of “monstrous” galaxies of the universe.
Galactic collisions may not destroy Earth. However, scientists believe that at the very least, it will cause a major disaster, as the “mildest” scenario could involve the Earth being pushed slightly away—enough to be ejected from the “habitable zone” of the Solar System.
