What's between galaxies?

[junkheap]

In about 3 billion years, our view of the Andromeda galaxy is going to be pretty awesome. :lol:

 

[Fallingstar1971]

Andromeda Galaxy, Im assuming you know the constellations so I wont bother labeling them

There are several galaxies/and a galaxy remnant, that can be seen other than Andromeda,

Milky Way Galaxy
Large Magellanic Cloud
Small Magellanic Cloud
Andromeda Galaxy
Omega Centauri
Triangulum Galaxy
Centaurus A
Bode's Galaxy
Sculptor Galaxy1
Messier 83

Listed from Wiki. Some require exceptional viewing conditions, but it doesnt change the fact that its possible.

Averted vision my friends, use your eyes to see more than what directly in front of them

Star


O and it should be noted that when you look at Andromeda naked eye, you are only seeing the brite core. If you could see the VERY VERY faint spiral arms, than it would indeed appear at least as large, if not larger than the full moon.

If I can remember, come fall, Ill even snap a photo of it for ya. Currently its too close to the Sun (which is in Taurus) so there is NO way I can photo it with my equipment at the current time.

But still, if I can get ALL of Ursa Minor, then Andromeda shouldn't be too too difficult. I promise to try anyway

 

[oldmoal]

And I thought $tarbucks were the interstllar monetary unit.

 

[MeteorWayne]

Omega Centauri is not a galaxy, but rather a globular cluster within the Milky Way.

 

[MeteorWayne]

I'm guessing that somehow this topic has made it to the SDC front page.

 

[frankmon]

The ISM is quite interesting in and of itself and most laymen tend to shrug this off.

Look around for (peer reviewed) papers on this topic and you will find that all that "empty space" between galaxies isn't so empty. The ESA site has some great info to start with.

 

[MeteorWayne]

The ISM is not the same as the IGM

 

[ramparts]

As far as I know between galaxies there is lots and lots of plasma in dark mode (or ionized gas aka dark matter as some call it).

But that's just me...

:twisted:

That probably sounds awesome when you're smoking the Big Bang Bong but ionized gas and dark matter are actually two totally separate things :mrgreen:

 

[ramparts]

Andromeda Galaxy, Im assuming you know the constellations so I wont bother labeling them

:!: Did you draw that yourself? :lol:

 

[prdurrell]

Stars between the galaxies certainly do exist, at least in galaxy clusters. We call these objects `intracluster stars', and the majority of them are stars that originally formed within the galaxies in the cluster, and were then removed during galaxy interactions. In galaxy clusters (like the Virgo cluster, for example), galaxies often interact with one another, `liberating' some of the galaxy stars through these gravitational interactions. Indeed, studies over the past 15 or so years have shown that perhaps 10 to 20 percent (!) of the total number of stars in a galaxy cluster are `intracluster'...they still orbit within the confines of the gravity of the galaxy cluster a a whole, but are not attached to any one particular galaxy. People have discovered stars, globular star clusters and planetary nebulae between the galaxies in galaxy clusters. A couple of good articles on these are at http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/27/scien ... 7find.html and http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/3311086.html
There are expected to be some stars removed from galaxies in groups (like the Milky Way), but these are much harder to find (more space to search, and fewer stars to find in the first place).

 

[MeteorWayne]

Nice first post, Welcome to Space.com!

Wayne

 

[nimbus]

Has anyone actually seen Andromeda? I read recently that it's the same angular diameter as the full moon, which is just nuts.

What you see with the naked eye is about the Moon's size.

And what it looks like with the naked eye:

three quarters of the way down this page.

 

[brellis]

What's between the Milky Way and Andromeda is practically nothing, once we're able to ascertain all the red giants/dwarves in the respective halos.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 210150.htm

"The suburbs of M31 and the Milky Way are so extended that they nearly overlap in space, despite the great distance between these two galaxies. If the whole of M31 were bright enough to be visible to the naked eye, it would appear to be huge, larger in apparent size than the Big Dipper."

 

[ZenGalacticore]

Nothing you can see is a galaxy, just stars within the Milky Way (only close stars too, within 100 LY mainly). Supposedly Andromeda and Magellanic clouds are visible with the naked eye, but I call BS. Maybe if you're in the middle of the Pacific in the bloody 19th century you could see it. Has anyone actually seen Andromeda? I read recently that it's the same angular diameter as the full moon, which is just nuts.

I can barely see Sirius with Atlanta's light pollution. :x