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Article: Assault on Andromeda: nearby galaxy had recent collision.
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- October 21, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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If the dinosaurs ever looked skyward, they might have been treated to a rare spectacle. About 210 million years ago, a small galaxy plunged into Andromeda--the spiral galaxy closest to the Milky Way. Streamers of stars created by the collision would have been visible for million of years. Although the minor galaxy moved on, Andromeda still holds signs of the encounter. These include a newly discovered ring of glowing dust surrounding the inner part of the galaxy.
Astronomers had previously found other features that suggested a collision: an outer dust ring, some warping of Andromeda's spiral disk, and loops and ripples in the halo of gas and dust surrounding the ...