MAD Cosmic Clash

Andromeda Galaxy   (Photo by Adam Evans)

If you think the battle between David and Goliath was something fierce, try wrapping your mind around this: the coming showdown between Andromeda and the Milky Way.

A few billion years might seem like a long time (especially to those who are bored with life), but it’s only a blip on the universal screen.  In just about a cosmic wink, these two neighboring galaxies will head-butt one another.  Who will be the winner?  Certainly not humans.

The “prize” will go to the larger galaxy, a measurement yet to be fully determined.  All the while, Andromeda was thought to be Goliath, but now it appears that the fiery adversaries are evenly matched.

The mass of each is largely determined by an “elusive dark matter that dominates all of the mass in the universe.”  Although it can’t be directly measured, its gravitational pull can.  That’s how scientists can estimate Andromeda’s actual mass.

What science has NOT figured out is how to avoid the Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) that such a collision will likely entail.

 

Resources

https://www.yahoo.com/news/andromeda-galaxy-brought-down-size-093012749.html

Copyright February 16, 2018 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved