When will Milky Way reach the Great Attractor?

[newtonian]

This is an extension to the Andromeda-Milky Way merger thread by Stevehw - which see for some information I posted from Scientific American.<br /><br />At current speed, when will we reach the Great Attractor?<br /><br />And have scientists run computer models of other galactic mergers or encounters Milky Way will have on the way towards the Great Attractor?

 

[nexium]

If our galaxtic group is moving toward the Great Attractor 0.001 c, and the distance is 200 million light years, arrival is in 200 billion years, assuming constant speed. Some acceleration is probable.<br />If the name Great Attractor is illustrative, other local groups of galaxies between here and the Great Attractor are also going about the same direction as fast or faster, so we may catch up with none of them. Likely other local groups of galaxies (not in our local group) are travelling faster in different directions, so we may have a near miss of one or more of these. My guess is the great Attractor hypothesis will be modified sooner or later. Please comment,refute and/or embellish. Neil

 

[harmonicaman]

"The Great Attractor" is merely a moving point in space that indicates the perceived center of mass for our Local Group of galaxies (and our neighboring groups). Since everything in space is moving in a curve, we aren't really on a collision course with any actual object.<br /><br />"The Great Attractor" may indicate the presence of several galaxies of our Local Group which are totally obscured from view by the dust in our own Milky Way Galaxy (About 25% of the universe is hidden from view by our own galaxy). <br /><br />This unseen mass is pulling us towards it as we are pulling it towards us; but these galaxies are all moving in different directions, as influenced by their own galactic neighbors, in an intricate ballet around this perceived center of mass.<br /><br />When we finally reach the point in space called "The Great Attractor", it won't be there any more!<br /><br />Note that every Galaxy will perceive their own "Great Attractor" as originating from a different moving point in space.<br /><br />(This is just my opinion and I would welcome counter arguments.)<br />

 

[vogon13]

Are we there yet?<br /><br />Are we there yet?<br /><br />Are we there yet?<br /><br />{imagine it screamed in Bart and Lisa's voices for billions of years}<br /><br /><img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /><br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>

 

[newtonian]

Neil - Thank you. <br /><br />Of course, we are heading for Andromeda and will merge long before we reach the Great Attractor.<br /><br />I am not sure .001 c is our speed towards the Great Attractor - I will research that.<br /><br />Where did you get the estimate?