Cosmic Collision: The Fate of the Milky Way

Name: _________________________________       Date: _____________

There's no need to start worrying about it just yet. But a few billion years from now, the Milky Way is in for a violent shock. Astronomers say our home galaxy is on a collision course with Andromeda, our nearest galactic neighbor. Such cosmic collisions happen all the time in the universe. The Hubble Space Telescope has been able to look deep into space and time and witness them firsthand.

In this Planet Diary activity, you'll see what intergalactic collisions look like and learn more about them. You'll also find out more about the fate of our own Milky Way. To begin, visit the Hubble Space Telescope's Cosmic Collision. Select Close Captions On then view the video Introduction. Use the "Pause" and "Resume" controls if you need to. You can also replay the video when it's done.

1. At what speed is Andromeda hurtling towards the Milky Way?
   
   
   
   
2. Describe what will happen when the two galaxies collide.
   
   
   
   
3. How long will this cosmic collision last?
   
   
   
   
4. Click Continue Show to the right of the heading Galaxy Evolution. Watch the video. What did John Herschel notice about the night sky in the mid-1800s?
   
   
   
   
5. What did Edwin Hubble learn about Andromeda a century later?
   
   
   
   
6. Describe the different types of galaxies that Hubble observed.
   
   
   
   
7. Describe what galaxies looked like:
   1. 12.6 billion years ago
      
      
      
      
   2. 9.0 billion years ago
      
      
      
      
   3. 5.3 billion years ago
      
      
      
      
8. What is the "startling conclusion" astronomers reached about the way galaxies form?
   
   
   
   
9. Click Continue Show to the right of the heading Collision Dynamics to view the next video clip. What force drives galaxies into violent cosmic pile-ups?
   
   
   
   
10. What will likely happen to our solar system when Andromeda and the Milky Way collide?
    
    
    
    
11. Use the sand analogy to explain what happens when stars from colliding galaxies pass through each other.
    
    
    
    
12. What happens when the clouds of gas and dust of colliding galaxies meet?
    
    
    
    
13. What is a tidal tail ?
    
    
    
    
14. Explain the tidal tail's role in the formation of new stars.
    
    
    
    
15. Finally, click Continue Show to the left of the heading Fate of the Milky Way to see the next clip. What will Andromeda look like five billion years from now?
    
    
    
    
16. How far apart are Andromeda and the Milky Way now?
    
    
    
    
17. How will new star clusters form when the two galaxies collide?
    
    
    
    
18. How bright will they be?
    
    
    
    
19. How will the galaxies look "in the end"?