How Galaxies Die? By Katherine Lightwood

How Galaxies Die?

By Katherine Lightwood

Galaxies are collections of millions and billions of stars. Our own milky way probably has 100 to 400 billion of stars.  Andromeda our close neighborhood galaxy probably has 400 billions of stars or maybe trillion. But the thing is fellas… Andromeda is dead. Probably has been for a few billion years.

Just like stars, planets, you, me and our hopes and dreams- galaxies can also die or ‘quench’ as astronomers call it.  

In fact half of the galaxies in the universe are dead. Gases like hydrogen are used by galaxies to make new stars. And as the gases fuse, the hydrogen is fused into helium and then helium into, more elements like carbon and oxygen and iron and so on.

As long as stars are being created, a galaxy is deemed alive. But when galaxies stop making new stars … they are considered ‘dead’.

Scientists have found out that the way a galaxy can die is called ‘galaxy strangulation’.  I mean that’s what they call it. Basically, the hydrogen gas the galaxy needs to make stars is slowly cut off and few billion years later it’s GALACTIC DEATH.

There is a number of things that can strangle a galaxy. If the ‘victim’ galaxy ventures near massive body like the black hole, another galaxy or galactic cluster then gravity pulls the gas from that galaxy and sent it for a grim journey of DEATH. This is called GALAXY HARASSMENT. And if that weren’t bad enough there’s RAM PRESSURE STRIPPING, when victim galaxy gets too close to a hot X-Ray emitting cluster and the ‘wind’ from the hot cluster ‘blows’ the star-forming gas out of the victim.

So, moral of the story, space is pretty insane.

Although as I said before, Andromeda is dead but it’s still on the move and heading this way, Andromeda should collide with the Milky Way in about 4 billion years forming a new massive galaxy.

FYI, our solar system will see this happen. Our sun will have expanded and roasted earth, but it will still be here. Well!! Here you go that’s a dark thought. See!! How my day starts? Thinking about DEATH of a Galaxy.

So, that was my thought of the day. To see more posts like this make sure to visit our main page. And Do not forget to visit our institute's page to know more about graphic design, 3D, animation courses and other awesome stuff. Till then good day to you.

Katherine Lightwood