Magnetism and galaxies

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j_rankin

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dont ridicule me cos im no scientist and im relatively new to astronomy, but i had a funny thought pop into my head and i'd like someone to tell me why it's not possible, so here goes:<br /><br />Does magnetism have any affect over interstellar distances? In one galaxy there might be alot of iron, which is being pulled in towards a bigger galaxy with more iron. <br />As more iron is created within a galaxy, the greater the magnetic attraction would be. Ie, as more magnetars got created, the magnetic charge of the galaxy would increase, and the attraction to a more iron rich galaxy would increase.<br /><br />Or perhaps if a galaxy's direction of magnetism faced a tangent to a cluster of galaxies it would be repelled and forced out.<br /><br />Anyway.......why isn't this the case? Please explain.
 
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enigma10

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Maybe this article can answer some of your ques.<br /><br /><font color="yellow"><i>It has been well-established that stars, planets, galaxies and even diffuse interstellar gas are all also magnetic. This ``cosmic magnetism'' cannot be ascribed to permanent magnets like the ones which come in a science kit, but to motions of huge, thin clouds of gas which are electrically charged. Cosmic magnetism spans an enormous range in its strength, varying by a factor of a hundred billion billion between the weak magnetic fields in interstellar space and the extreme magnetism found on the surface of collapsed stars. Because these cosmic magnetic fields are all-pervasive, they play a vital role in controlling how celestial sources form, age and evolve.</i></font>/i><br /><br /> The link <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>"<font color="#333399">An organism at war with itself is a doomed organism." - Carl Sagan</font></em> </div>
 
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j_rankin

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So there is an effect? Then why would it be wrong to think that as galaxies get more magnetic, they also get faster?
 
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