The Andromeda-Milky Way collision: if it happened tomorrow...

[Bunny]

We have plenty of things to worry about between now and then for this to even bother me. Regardless, I anticipate my ascension to a higher plane.

[Agent Proto]

I don't think anyone would noticed if the two galaxies collided. By the time it's over, we'll be long gone!

[Mirage]

What do you mean by happen tomorrow? If the collision started tomorrow? Cause it'll be colliding for thousands of years before the collision got to us.

[Laddy]

If it happened tomorrow I would force Rod to buy a webcam and he'd whisper sweet nothings to me until the catacalysm.

[SuperMillionaire]

What do you mean by happen tomorrow? If the collision started tomorrow? Cause it'll be colliding for thousands of years before the collision got to us.

I'm sure there's also an initial instant impact too.

[Mirage]

I'm sure that impact would take years to get to us, because we're several light years away from the edge of the galaxy.

[Dignified Pauper]

Not to mention that, like Vyk said, the gravitational impact on Earth would probably be negligent due to all the dead space between every star. A star would have to come fairly close and be pretty massive to do any damage.

But like others said, the Sun will encompass Earth by the time it happens, so WHO CARES!?

[Vyk]

What do you mean by happen tomorrow? If the collision started tomorrow? Cause it'll be colliding for thousands of years before the collision got to us.

I'm sure there's also an initial instant impact too.

There's no such thing as "instant" when talking about things this vast. Even moving at light speed takes hundreds of thousands to millions of years. If I recall correctly it takes like 2.5 million years or something for the solar system to navigate the perimeter of the Milky Way. Its going to take millions of years for Andromeda to even touch us. And its going to take tens of millions of years for the whole event to pan out. Probably even closer to a billion years for it all to settle back to one giant galaxy

[Raistlin]

I'm sure there's also an initial instant impact too.

Through what? The invisible ropes connecting everything? The only thing that connects the Milky Way is gravity. Therefore, a large body from the galaxy first has to get close enough for its gravitational field to impact the Earth's orbit around the sun. That would be the "initial" change. If the edge of one galaxy starts going through the edge of the other side of the Milky Way, the Earth won't "feel" a thing.

There's also no such thing as "instant."

[black orb]

The only thing that connects the Milky Way is gravity.

>>> That and Dark matter, which is actually like invisible ropes connecting everything..

[Raistlin]

And dark matter interacts with the matter we see by...? Oh yes, gravity.

[qwertysaur]

Also remember that gravity itself moves at the speed of light.

[rubah]

mmmm, cosmic radiation~

[edit- you guys are boring pedants. Clearly the guy means 'okay, take a state well into the collision, approximate it as steady state, then assume that the andromeda + milky way galaxy collided together approach that steady state instantaneously']

[Vyk]

mmmm, cosmic radiation~

[edit- you guys are boring pedants. Clearly the guy means 'okay, take a state well into the collision, approximate it as steady state, then assume that the andromeda + milky way galaxy collided together approach that steady state instantaneously']

Not quite sure what you're trying to say. But I'm pretty sure it breaks physics :P

[Peegee]

mmmm, cosmic radiation~

[edit- you guys are boring pedants. Clearly the guy means 'okay, take a state well into the collision, approximate it as steady state, then assume that the andromeda + milky way galaxy collided together approach that steady state instantaneously']

Not quite sure what you're trying to say. But I'm pretty sure it breaks physics :P

That's why it's a hypothetical. If anything the correct answer would be 'I dunno' or 'splat'