Scientists have known for some time that the Milky Way Galaxy is not the only one in the universe. In addition to our galaxy, which is part of the Local Group - a collection of 54 galaxies and dwarf galaxies - we are also part of a larger entity known as the Virgo Cluster of galaxies. So, we can say that the Milky Way has many neighbors.
Of these, most people believe that the Andromeda Galaxy is our closest galactic cohabitant. But truth be told, Andromeda is the closest spiral Galaxy, but not the nearest galaxy at all. This distinction falls to the point of forming what is actually within the Milky Way itself, but a dwarf galaxy, which is known by the name Canis Major Gnome Galax (aka. Canis Major).
This star formation is located about 42,000 light-years from the galactic center and only 25,000 light-years from our solar system. This puts it closer to us than the center of our own galaxy, which is 30,000 light-years away from the solar system.
Prior to its discovery, astronomers believed that the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy was the closest galactic formation to our own. At 70,000 light-years from Earth, this galaxy was determined in 1994 to be closer to us than the Large Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy 180,000 light-years away that previously held the title of our nearest neighbor.
That all changed in 2003, when the Canis Major dwarf galaxy was discovered by the 2 Micron Panoramic Survey (2MASS), during an astronomical mission that took place between 1997 and 2001.
With the help of telescopes located on the MT. Hopkins Observatory in Arizona (for the Northern Hemisphere) and at the Inter-American Observatory in Chile for the Southern Hemisphere, astronomers have been able to conduct a comprehensive survey of the sky in infrared light, which is not blocked by gas and dust as brutally as visible light.
Because of this technique, astronomers have been able to detect a very significant density of class M giant stars in the sky occupied by the constellation Canis Major, as well as several other associated structures within this type of star, two of which appear as wide, swooning arcs (as seen in the image above ).
The abundance of M-class stars is what made the formation easy to detect. These cool, "red dwarfs" aren't very bright compared to other classes of stars, and can't even be seen with the naked eye. However, they are very bright in infrared, and have appeared in large numbers.
In addition to its composition, the Galaxy has a near elliptical shape and is believed to contain as many stars as the Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy, the previous contender for the closest galaxy to our location in the Milky Way.
In addition to the dwarf galaxy, a long string of stars is visible trailing behind it. This complex, ring structure - sometimes called the Monoceros ring - warps around the galaxy three times. The stream was first detected in the early 21st century by astronomers conducting the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.
It was during the investigation of this ring of stars, and closely spaced groups of globular clusters similar to those associated with Sagittarius dwarf elliptical galaxies, that the Canis Major dwarf galaxy was discovered.
The current theory is that this galaxy was fused (or swallowed up) into the Milky Way Galaxy. Other globular clusters orbiting the center of the Milky Way as a satellite - that is, either NGC 1851, NGC 1904, NGC 2298 and NGC 2808 - are believed to have been part of the big dog of the dwarf galaxy prior to its accretion.
The discovery of this galaxy, and subsequent analysis of the stars associated with it, provides some support for the current theory that galaxies can grow in size by swallowing their smaller neighbors. The Milky Way became what it is now, eating up other galaxies like a big dog, and it continues to do so today. And since the stars of the canis major dwarf galaxy are technically already part of the Milky Way, it is, by definition, the closest galaxy to us.
Astronomers also believe that canis major dwarf galaxies are pulling apart the gravitational field of the more massive Milky Way galaxy in the process. The main body of the galaxy is already extremely degraded, and this process will continue as it travels around and through our Galaxy. During the accretion is likely to end with a large dog dwarf galaxy deposited 1 billion stars per 200 m0 400 billion, which are already part of the Milky Way.
Prior to its discovery in 2003, it was the Sagittarius dwarf elliptical galaxy that held the position of being the closest galaxy to our own. At a distance of 75,000 light years. This dwarf galaxy, which consists of four globular clusters that measure about 10,000 light-years in diameter, was discovered in 1994. Prior to this, the Large Magellanic Cloud was thought to be our nearest neighbor.
The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is the closest spiral galaxy to us. Although - gravitationally - connected to the Milky Way, it is still not the nearest Galaxy - 2 million light-years away. Andromeda is currently approaching our galaxy at a speed of about 110 kilometers per second. In about 4 billion years, the Andromeda Galaxy is expected to merge to form a single Super Galaxy.
Astronomy is an amazingly fascinating science that reveals to inquisitive minds all the diversity of the Universe. There are hardly any people who, in childhood, would never have watched the scattering of stars in the night sky. This picture looks especially beautiful in the summer, when the stars seem so close and incredibly bright. In recent years, astronomers around the world have been particularly interested in Andromeda, the galaxy closest to our own Milky Way. We decided to find out what exactly attracts scientists in it and whether it can be seen with the naked eye.
Andromeda: a brief description
The Andromeda Nebula, or simply Andromeda, is one of the largest galaxy in the galaxy. It is larger than our Milky Way, where the solar system is located, approximately three to four times. In it, according to preliminary estimates, about one trillion stars.
Andromeda is a spiral galaxy, it can be seen in the night sky even without special optical devices. But keep in mind that the light from this star cluster travels to our Earth for more than two and a half million years! Astronomers say that we now see the Andromeda Nebula as it was two million years ago. Isn't that a miracle?
Andromeda Nebula: from the history of observations
Andromeda was first seen by an astronomer from Persia. He cataloged it in 1946 and described it as a hazy glow. Seven centuries later, the galaxy was described by a German astronomer who observed it for a long time with a telescope.
In the middle of the nineteenth century, astronomers determined that the spectrum of Andromeda differed significantly from previously known galaxies, and suggested that it was composed of many stars. This theory is fully justified.
The Andromeda Galaxy, which was photographed only at the end of the nineteenth century, has a spiral structure. Although in those days it was considered only a large part of the Milky Way.
The structure of the galaxy
With the help of modern telescopes, astronomers have managed to analyze the structure of the Andromeda Nebula. The Hubble telescope made it possible to see about four hundred young stars revolving around the black hole. This star cluster is approximately 200 million years old. This structure of the galaxy was very surprising to scientists, because until now they had not even imagined that stars could form around a black hole. According to all previously known laws, the process of condensing gas to form a star out of it is simply impossible under the conditions of a black hole.
The Andromeda Nebula has several satellite dwarf galaxies, they are located on its outskirts and could be there as a result of absorption. This is doubly interesting given that astronomers are predicting a collision between the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy. True, this phenomenal event will happen very soon.
The Andromeda Galaxy and the Milky Way: moving towards each other
Scientists have long been making certain predictions by observing the movement of both star systems. The fact is that Andromeda is a galaxy that is constantly moving towards the Sun. At the beginning of the twentieth century, an American astronomer was able to calculate the speed at which this movement occurs. This figure, which is three hundred kilometers per second, is still used by all astronomers in the world in their observations and calculations.
However, their calculations differ significantly. Some scientists claim that the galaxies will collide only after seven billion years, while others are sure that the speed of Andromeda is constantly growing, and the meeting can be expected in four billion years. Scientists do not exclude such a scenario in which in a few decades this predicted figure will again significantly decrease. At the moment, however, it is generally accepted that collisions should not be expected earlier than in four billion years. What threatens us Andromeda (galaxy)?
Collision: what will happen?
Since the absorption of the Milky Way by Andromeda is inevitable, astronomers are trying to simulate the situation in order to have at least some information about this process. According to computer data, as a result of absorption, the solar system will be on the outskirts of the galaxy, it will fly over a distance of one hundred and sixty thousand light years. Compared to the current position of our solar system towards the center of the galaxy, it will move away from it by twenty-six thousand light-years.
The new future galaxy has already received the name - Milky Honey, and astronomers say that due to the merger, it will be rejuvenated by at least one and a half billion years. In this process, new stars will be formed, which will make our galaxy much brighter and more beautiful. She will also change shape. Now the Andromeda Nebula is at some angle to the Milky Way, but in the process of merging the resulting system will take on the shape of an ellipse and become more voluminous, so to speak.
The fate of mankind: will we survive the collision?
And what will happen to people? How will the meeting of galaxies affect our Earth? Surprisingly, scientists say that absolutely nothing! All changes will be expressed in the appearance of new stars and constellations. The sky map will change completely, because we will find ourselves in a completely new and unexplored corner of the galaxy.
Of course, some astronomers leave an extremely small percentage of negative developments. In this scenario, the Earth could collide with the Sun or another stellar body from the Andromeda galaxy.
Are there planets in the Andromeda Nebula?
Scientists regularly search for planets in galaxies. They do not leave attempts to find in the expanses of the Milky Way a planet that is close in characteristics to our Earth. At the moment, more than three hundred objects have already been discovered and described, but they are all located in our star system. In recent years, astronomers have begun to look more and more closely at Andromeda. Are there any planets out there?
Thirteen years ago, a group of astronomers, using the latest method, hypothesized that one of the stars in the Andromeda Nebula has a planet. Its estimated mass is six percent of the largest planet in our solar system - Jupiter. Its mass is three hundred times the mass of the Earth.
At the moment, this assumption is being tested, but it has every chance of becoming a sensation. After all, until now, astronomers have not discovered planets in other galaxies.
Preparing to search for a galaxy in the sky
As we have said, even with the naked eye you can see the neighboring galaxy in the night sky. Of course, for this you need to have some knowledge in the field of astronomy (at least know what the constellations look like and be able to find them).
In addition, it is almost impossible to see certain clusters of stars in the night sky of the city - light pollution will prevent observers from seeing at least something. Therefore, if you still want to see the Andromeda Nebula with your own eyes, then go to the village at the end of summer, or at least to the city park, where there are not a lot of lanterns. The best time for observation is October, but from August to September it is quite clearly visible above the horizon.
Andromeda Nebula: search scheme
Many young amateur astronomers dream of knowing what Andromeda really looks like. The galaxy in the sky resembles a small bright spot, but you can find it thanks to the bright stars that are located nearby.
The easiest way is to find Cassiopeia in the autumn sky - it looks like the letter W, only more stretched than it is customary to designate it in writing. Usually the constellation is clearly visible in the Northern Hemisphere and is located in the eastern part of the sky. The Andromeda Galaxy lies below. To see it, you need to find a few more landmarks.
They are three bright stars below Cassiopeia, they are elongated in a line and have a red-orange hue. The middle one, Miraak, is the most accurate guide for beginner astronomers. If you draw a straight line upwards from it, you will notice a small luminous spot resembling a cloud. It is this light that will be the Andromeda galaxy. Moreover, the glow that you can observe was sent to the Earth even when there was not a single person on the planet. Amazing fact, right?
The Milky Way - a very characteristic example of its type of galaxy - is so huge that it takes more than 100,000 years for light to travel at a speed of 300,000 kilometers per second to cross the Galaxy from edge to edge. The Earth and the Sun are located at a distance of about 30 thousand light years from the center of the Milky Way. If we tried to send a message to a hypothetical being living near the center of our galaxy, we would not receive an answer until 60,000 years later. A message sent at the speed of an airplane (600 miles or 1000 kilometers per hour) at the time of the birth of the universe would by now have traveled only half the way to the center of the Galaxy, and the waiting time for a response would have been 70 billion years.
Some galaxies are much larger than ours. The diameters of the largest of them - vast galaxies that radiate a huge amount of energy in the form of radio waves, such as the famous object of the southern sky - Centaurus A, are a hundred times the diameter of the Milky Way. On the other hand, there are many relatively small galaxies in the Universe. The size of dwarf elliptical galaxies (a typical representative is located in the constellation Draco) is only about 10 thousand light years. Of course, even these inconspicuous objects are almost unimaginably huge: although the galaxy in the constellation Draco can be called a dwarf galaxy, its diameter exceeds 160,000,000,000,000,000 kilometers.
Although space is inhabited by billions of galaxies, they are not at all cramped: the Universe is large enough for galaxies to comfortably fit in it, and there is still a lot of free space. The typical distance between bright galaxies is about 5-10 million light-years; the remaining volume is occupied by dwarf galaxies. However, if we take their sizes into account, it turns out that galaxies are relatively much closer to each other than, for example, stars in the vicinity of the Sun. The diameter of a star is negligible compared to the distance to the nearest neighboring star. The diameter of the Sun is only about 1.5 million kilometers, while the distance to the nearest star to us is 50 million times greater.
In order to imagine the huge distances between galaxies, let's mentally reduce their size to the height of an average person. Then in a typical region of the Universe, "adult" (bright) galaxies will be on average at a distance of 100 meters from each other, and a small number of children will be located between them. The universe would be like a vast baseball field with a lot of space between the players. Only in some places where galaxies gather in close clusters. our scale model of the universe is like a city sidewalk, and nowhere would it be anything like a party or a subway car at rush hour. If, however, the stars of a typical galaxy were reduced to the scale of human growth, then the area would turn out to be extremely sparsely populated: the nearest neighbor would live at a distance of 100 thousand kilometers - about a quarter of the distance from the Earth to the Moon.
From these examples, it should be clear that galaxies are quite rarely scattered in the universe and consist mainly of empty space. Even if we take into account the rarefied gas that fills the space between the stars, the average density of matter is still extremely low. The world of galaxies is vast and almost empty.
Galaxies in the universe are not alike. Some of them are even and round, others are flattened, spreading spirals, and some have almost no structure. Astronomers, following the pioneering work of Edwin Hubble published in the 1920s, classify galaxies according to their shape into three main types: elliptical, spiral, and irregular, designated E, S, and Irr, respectively.
Fixing its eyes on the stars, mankind has long wanted to know what is there - in the abyss of space, what laws are there and whether there are intelligent beings. We live in the 21st century, this is a time when space flights are an ordinary part of our lives, of course, people do not yet fly in spaceships, like on planes on Earth, but reports of launches and landings of all kinds of research probes are already quite commonplace. So far, only the Moon, our satellite, has become the first and only extraterrestrial object where a human foot has set foot, the next step will be the landing of a man on Mars. But in this article we will not talk about the “red planet” and not even about the nearest star, we will discuss the curious question, what is the distance to the nearest galaxy. Although from a technical point of view, such long-distance flights are not feasible at the moment, it is still interesting to know the approximate timing of the “journey”.
If you read our article about that, you will understand that moving a spacecraft to a nearby galaxy is something unimaginable. With the technologies of today, it is very difficult to fly, not only to the galaxy, to the star. However, this seems impossible if we rely on the classical laws of physics (one cannot exceed the speed of light) and technologies for burning fuel in engines, no matter how perfect they are. To begin with, let's talk about the distance between our galaxy and the nearest one, so that you understand the grand scale of the hypothetical journey.
Distances to nearest galaxies
We live in a galaxy figuratively called the Milky Way, which has a spiral structure and contains approximately 400 billion stars. Light travels from one end to the other in about a hundred thousand years. Closest to our own is the Andromeda galaxy, which also has a spiral structure, but is more massive, it contains about one trillion stars. Two galaxies are gradually approaching each other at a speed of 100-150 kilometers per second, after four billion years they will "merge" into a single whole. If after so many years people still live on Earth, then they will not notice any transformations, except for a gradual change in the starry sky, because. distances between stars, then the chances of colliding are very small.
The distance to the nearest galaxy is approximately 2.5 million light years, i.e. light from the Andromeda galaxy takes 2.5 million years to reach the limits of the Milky Way.
There is also a “mini-galaxy”, which was called the “Large Magellanic Cloud”, it is small and gradually decreases, the Magellanic Cloud will not collide with our galaxy, because. has a different trajectory. The distance to this galaxy is approximately 163 thousand light years, it is it that is the closest to us, but because of its size, scientists prefer to call the Andromeda galaxy closest to us.
It would take a whopping 46 billion years to fly to Andromeda in the fastest and most advanced spacecraft ever built! It’s easier to “wait” until she herself flies to the Milky Way “only” in 4 billion years.
High-speed "dead end"
As you understood from this article, it is “problematic” for even light to reach the nearest galaxy, intergalactic distances are huge. Mankind needs to look for other ways to move in outer space than "standard" propellant engines. Of course, at this stage of our development, we need to “dig” in this direction, the development of high-speed engines will help us quickly master the expanses of our solar system, a person will be able to set foot not only on Mars, but also on other planets, for example, Titan is a satellite of Saturn, which is already has long been of interest to scientists.
Perhaps, on an improved spacecraft, people will be able to fly even to Proxima Centauri, the closest star to us, and if humanity learns to reach the speed of light, then it will be possible to fly to nearby stars for years, not millennia. If we talk about intergalactic flights, then we need to look for completely different ways of moving in space.
Possible ways to overcome huge distances
Scientists have long been trying to understand the nature of "" - massive objects with such strong gravity that even light cannot escape from their depths, scientists suggest that the supergravity of such "holes" can break through the "canvas" of space and open paths to some other points our universe. Even if this is true, the way to travel through black holes has several drawbacks, the main one being “unplanned” travel, i.e. people on a spaceship will not be able to choose a point in the Universe where they want to go, they will fly to where the hole “wants”.
Also, such a journey can become one-way, because. the hole may collapse or change its properties. In addition, strong gravity can affect not only space, but also time, i.e. astronauts will fly away as if into the future, for them time will flow as usual, but years or even centuries may pass on Earth before they return (this paradox is well shown in the recent film “Interstellar”).
Scientists involved in quantum mechanics have found out an amazing fact, it turns out that the speed of light is not the limit of movement in the Universe, at the micro level there are particles that appear for a moment at one point in space, and then disappear, and appear at another, the distance for them has no values.
“String theory” says that our world has a multidimensional structure (11 dimensions), perhaps, having understood these principles, we will learn to move to any distance. The spacecraft will not even need to fly anywhere and accelerate, standing still, it will be able, with the help of some kind of gravitational generator, to fold space, thereby getting to any point.
The power of scientific progress
The scientific world should pay more attention to the microworld, because, perhaps, it is here that the answers to the questions of rapid movement around the Universe lie, without revolutionary discoveries in this area, humanity will not be able to overcome large cosmic distances. Fortunately, for these studies, a powerful particle accelerator has been built - the Large Hadron Collider, which will help scientists in understanding the world of elementary particles.
We hope that in this article we have talked in detail about the distance to the nearest galaxy, we are sure that sooner or later a person will still learn to overcome distances of millions of light years, perhaps then we will meet our “brothers” in mind, although the author of these lines thinks this will happen sooner. You can write a separate treatise about the meaning and consequences of meeting with, this, as they say, is “another story”.
>nearest galaxy to us
Which galaxy is closest to the Milky Way: spiral Andromeda, dwarf galaxy in Canis Major, distance, map of galaxies, research with photo.
It should be understood that our galaxy is not unique in terms of its formation. That is, there are many more similar ones, united in specific groups. The Milky Way was sheltered by the Local Group (54 galaxies), which is part of. So we are not alone.
Many believe that the Andromeda galaxy is the closest because it and the Milky Way are going through a process of collision and merger. But speaking more scientifically, this is the closest representative of the spiral type. The fact is that the dwarf one was discovered not so long ago, so it's time to reconsider your knowledge.
Which galaxy is closest
Now the dwarf galaxy in Canis Major is the closest galaxy to the Milky Way. It is 42,000 light-years from the center and 25,000 light-years from the system.
Characteristics of the nearest galaxy to us
It is believed that it contains a billion stars, many of which have passed into the red giant phase. Formed in the shape of an ellipse. In addition, a whole stellar thread flickers behind it. It is a complex ring-shaped structure - the Unicorn Ring wrapped around three times.
During the study of the ring, this dwarf galaxy was discovered in Canis Major. It is assumed that she was "eaten". And the globular clusters close to its center (NGC 1851, NGC 1904, NGC 2298 and NGC 2808) once belonged to the absorbed galaxy.
Examples of galactic mergers captured by the Hubble telescope
Discovery of the closest galaxy to Earth
Prior to this, it was believed that in the first place in terms of proximity was the Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy (70,000 light years from Earth). This is closer than (180,000 years).
The dwarf galaxy in Canis Major appeared for the first time in 2003. Astronomers scanned 70% of the sky with the All-Sky Survey and found approximately 5,700 celestial sources of infrared radiation. Infrared technology is incredibly important as red light is not blocked by gas and dust. Thus, it was possible to find many M-type giants in the constellation Canis Major. Some structures formed weak arcs.
A large number of M-type stars was the reason why the reservoir was found. Red dwarfs with low temperatures are inferior in brightness, so they cannot be seen without the use of technology. But they are clearly visible in the infrared range.
The data fueled the idea that galaxies could grow by swallowing smaller neighbors. Thus, our Milky Way galaxy appeared, which continues to do this even now. And since the former stars of the Dwarf Galaxy in Canis Major are now ours, we can say that it is located closest.
The former winner was found in 1994 (dwarf in Sagittarius). Among the nearest spiral ones is (M31), which hurries towards us with an acceleration of 110 km / s. After 4 billion light years, a merger will occur.
What awaits the nearest galaxy to us?
Now you know that the closest galaxy to the Milky Way is the dwarf galaxy in Canis Major. But what will happen to her? Scientists believe that in the end it will be torn apart by the force of gravity of the Milky Way. It is noticeable that her main body has already distorted and it does not stop. The accretion will end with the objects completely merging, transferring 1 billion stars to our galaxy to the 200-400 billion that passed earlier. So the short distance to the nearest galaxy played a cruel joke on it.
