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lianfyrr t1_ixoo3m0 wrote

You might need to do some re-evaluation of your base assumptions.

  1. Andromeda is roughly the same size as the Milky Way. At least to the extent of our measurement margins of errors (ironically, it's easier for us to measure Andromeda's mass than the Milky Way's)
  2. A typical satellite galaxy has a mass of about 10 million Solar Masses. Milky Way (and Andromeda) have about 1-2 trillion. To double the mass of the Milky Way, it would need to absorb about a 100k dwarf galaxies. There's only a couple of dozen.
  3. Astronomers have mapped the nearby universe, and we know where the nearby galaxies are - There aren't enough to substantially change the next few billion years of galactic evolution in our neighborhood

As for your theory, well it's...different. Galaxies do merge, and the merger process does disrupt their shape - but we really go know how to model these mergers, and the description of the future of Andromeda and the Milky Way is pretty well established.

(Edit: Changed some of my points to better address OP's "theory")

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space-ModTeam t1_ixq0dgj wrote

Hello u/help_me_cant_post, your submission "Would it be possible for the Milky Way to absorb so many dwarf galaxies, enlarging it to a degree that is seemingly impossible, somehow dwarfing the likes of the Andromeda?" has been removed from r/space because:

  • Such questions should be asked in the "All space questions" thread stickied at the top of the sub.

Please read the rules in the sidebar and check r/space for duplicate submissions before posting. If you have any questions about this removal please message the r/space moderators. Thank you.

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Skibadabopemdada t1_ixoleli wrote

Possible, but unlikely. Though this is a what if scenario, it is extremely unlikely. If this does occur and the Milky Way does turn supermassive, then we will likely survive because the chances of even one star colliding is negligent.

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Patrick26 t1_ixojjxz wrote

Yes, but although Andromeda is larger than our galaxy it isn't a large galaxy by astronomical standards, and it is destined to merge with our own, in the fullness of time.

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help_me_cant_post OP t1_ixojzom wrote

Who is to say that our galaxy isn't able to grow larger than andromeda? I know they are destined to merge at one point, But the milky way could grow to a size large enough that the Andromeda galaxy would contain more similarities in size to the very dwarf galaxies we swallow now, as apposed to how we see it today.

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the_fungible_man t1_ixoulaq wrote

The amount of mass that would be required to "engorge" the Milky Way to your proposed size simply isn't present in its region of space. So, anyone can say that our galaxy will not be appreciably larger than its current size as it merges with M31 a few billion years from now.

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Storyteller-Hero t1_ixolvzi wrote

Who? IF anyone were to say the Milky Way won't grow larger than Andromeda before collision, then it would be mathematicians who have calculated the distances between galaxies as well as their trajectories and estimated how long before anything collides with the Milky Way.

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