Interacting galaxy

[3] The extremely tenuous distribution of matter in galaxies means these are not collisions in the traditional sense of the word, but rather gravitational interactions.

A library of simulated galaxy collisions can be found at the Paris Observatory website GALMER.

It has been suggested that galactic cannibalism is currently occurring between the Milky Way and the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds.

Streams of gravitationally-attracted hydrogen arcing from these dwarf galaxies to the Milky Way is taken as evidence for the theory.

According to computer simulations, the interactions convert the affected galaxy disks into disturbed barred spiral galaxies and produces starbursts followed by, if more encounters occur, loss of angular momentum and heating of their gas.

[17] Evidence for the hypothesis had been claimed by studying early-type dwarf galaxies in the Virgo Cluster and finding structures, such as disks and spiral arms, which suggest they are former disc systems transformed by the above-mentioned interactions.

[18] The existence of similar structures in isolated early-type dwarf galaxies, such as LEDA 2108986, has undermined this hypothesis.

NGC 3169 (left) and NGC 3166 (right) display some curious features, showing that each is close enough to feel the distorting gravitational influence of the other. Image from the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ ESO 2.2-metre telescope at the La Silla Observatory .
Animation of Galaxy Collision
Gravitationally lensed galactic merger H-ATLAS J142935.3-002836. [ 2 ]
2MASX J16270254+4328340 galaxy has merged with another galaxy leaving a fine mist, made of millions of stars, spewing from it in long trails. [ 15 ]
Montage of some well known interacting galaxies