Interacting galaxy
individual galaxy whose gravitational field disturbs another galaxy
Interacting galaxies, also known as colliding galaxies, are two or more galaxies whose gravitational fields result in a disturbance of one another. There are several types of galactic interactions, including major interactions, minor interactions, and galaxy harassment. Major interactions occur between galaxies with similar amounts of mass, whereas minor interactions involve galaxies with masses that vary significantly. An example of a minor interaction is a satellite galaxy disturbing the primary galaxy's spiral arms. An example of a major interaction is a galactic collision, such as the one that astronomers estimate will happen in the future between the Milky Way and Andromeda. Collisions may lead to galaxy mergers and may also lead to other phenomena such as star formation and black hole activity.
Satellite interaction
A giant galaxy interacting with its satellites is common. A satellite's gravity could attract one of the primary's spiral arms. Alternatively, the secondary satellite can dive into the primary galaxy, as in the Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy diving into the Milky Way. That can possibly trigger a small amount of star formation.
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This entry incorporates text from “Interacting galaxy” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.