Movies of Simulated Galaxy Collisions

• While we aren't able to watch an actual merger sequence taking place in nature, it is possible to simulate what a merger might look like. John Dubinski of the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA) has produced a number of simulations of galaxy mergers. Some examples are shown here.
  • The Antennae is a famous example of an on-going collision. Click here to see a simulation of the Antennae merger, as seen from the observer's point of view.
  • Click here to see a simulation of the Antennae merger, as seen from the orbital plane.
  • Eventually, our own galaxy - the Milky Way - will probably collide with our nearest large neighbour, the Andromeda galaxy. Click here to see a simulation of this close encounter.
  
  
  
• The following movie was generated by Matthias Steinmetz of the University of Arizona. The movie is a simulation of the formation of a galaxy with a violent merger history. This simulation follows the distribution of gas within galaxy halos, beginning very early in time (at redshift z ~ 20) and winding down in redshift until the present day (z = 0). It is interesting to note that the bulk of galaxy mergers seen here occur between 0.2 < z < 0.8. Earlier than that, there aren't enough galaxies formed. Later than that, and right up to the present day, the merger rate drops off, due to the continued expansion of the universe. Click here to begin!