Comments on: Galaxy SMASH!

By: The Ghost of August Past « The Outer Hoard

The Ghost of August Past « The Outer Hoard — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 12:28:29 +0000

[...] Computer-generated animation of colliding galaxies. [...]

By: Interesting Stuff: Late August 2009 « The Outer Hoard

Interesting Stuff: Late August 2009 « The Outer Hoard — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 13:20:03 +0000

[...] Lovely video simulation of galaxies colliding. [...]

By: Nancy

Nancy — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 04:21:54 +0000

To Marianna and Andy Diamos — glad you liked the music. The scientists (collaborator Joel Primack is my husband) borrowed it from a song on my album, ALIEN WISDOM. And yes, Patrik’s right: the song is “All’s Well That Ends Well,” and it has words. ALIEN WISDOM is for sale at the wonderful independent artist website, cdbaby.com

By: Mike Torr

Mike Torr — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 07:17:38 +0000

Beautiful.

I would really like to see this shown from the point of view of one of the stars that survive – like, and animation of what would be seen in the night sky of one of its planets, adjusted to point in the same direction every night, then speeded up (a LOT!)

By: Apocalypse Cow

Apocalypse Cow — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:16:54 +0000

I’m fascinated with this video, especially the completely(to me) random element that forms on the upper left around 1:10, and collides with the main body around 1:25.

By: Galaxy Collision Modelling « The National Space Society of Phoenix

Galaxy Collision Modelling « The National Space Society of Phoenix — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 04:29:54 +0000

[...] by drdave on August 9, 2009 Found on Phil Plait’s Bad Astronomy. This is really [...]

By: marianna

marianna — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 03:36:52 +0000

That is totally exciting about bringing these type of things to a planetarium, Patrik. Good luck with that. Please let Phil know the details when this comes about so he can notify us.

This colliding galaxies animation is a wonderful blending of art and science. As one of Phil’s posts said, Science is Imagination, and you’ve certainly demonstrated that.

By: Colisión de galaxias « Pasa la vida

Colisión de galaxias « Pasa la vida — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 15:12:17 +0000

[...] Vía Bad Astronomy [...]

By: Gary Ansorge

Gary Ansorge — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 12:58:00 +0000

38. Patrik:

Thanks Patrik, for all your hard work. It is beautiful.

Gary 7

By: meneame.net

meneame.net — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 10:36:09 +0000

Galaxias espirales colisionando

Hace 30 años, los astrónomos comenzaban a realizar simulaciones de galaxias espirales colisionando, pero los ordenadores eran lentos y sólo podían seguir el rastro de unos pocos cientos de estrellas, lo que limitaba los modelos. El software debía …

By: Patrik

Patrik — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 03:46:58 +0000

Hi and thanks for all the nice comments. It’s always fun when your work is appreciated.

HWRmaupin: Yes, the total time shown in the movie is about 3 billion years.

Marianna: I believe the name of the song is “All’s well that ends well”, and it’s on Nancy’s website. Unfortunately you can’t listen to it, though. And about planetariums, we have a project underway to bring realistic movies of simulations to planetariums, which should be pretty awesome.

By: marianna

marianna — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 02:00:03 +0000

@Andy Diamos….the composer of the music is Nancy Ellen Abrams. She has a website of her music. You may be able to find that song there at expandinguniverse_dot_org. The credits of the simulation do not list the name of the song.

If the song isn’t already on the website, there is an email address there that should eventually get to her.

I downloaded the high definition version of this simulation from the original website Phil has linked. It is extraordinarily beautiful with each star seeming to be a separate point. If you like this low resolution youtube version, you really should download the HD version. Put it on full screen and sit in a darkened room. I would love to see this displayed in a planetarium. I think the beauty of the model, and the immensity of time and forces I can’t comprehend would make me weep.

By: Gary Ansorge

Gary Ansorge — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 01:24:24 +0000

31. Buzz Lightyear;

Naw! Earth Rules,,,gravity sucks.

Great imagery. Hydrodynamic codes? Hmmm, yes, I guess I see how that would apply.

GAry 7

By: quantum_flux

quantum_flux — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 20:09:36 +0000

Beautiful program there.

By: Andy Diamos

Andy Diamos — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 18:50:17 +0000

Anyone know what song is played in the background? I’d be interested in getting it.

By: Muzz

Muzz — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 18:15:25 +0000

Some of you folks might know Gravity 3D already;

http://www.mars3d.com/PWGravity3D.htm

It’s a bit old now but you can do similar looking stuff with that, although not as physically/light accurate. Fun though.

By: Torbjörn Larsson, OM

Torbjörn Larsson, OM — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 15:07:26 +0000

Re Logan, I think these mergers are emviolinated enough. Are all galaxy neighborhoods this rough-and-tumble?

an “actual result” in simulation is what you get when your simulation makes predictions of unexpected behavior

Um, why?

To confirm the simulations are correct, which for all practical purposes must be considered a result (that we reasonably understand the physics, say), wouldn’t all we need for them to match some other predictions (or observations)? Say, some distribution of merger times, if such a distribution exist in some meaningful way.

If OTOH only unexpected behavior would be tested against not many simulations could be considered good models. That doesn’t seem to be the case.

Incidentally, our galaxy, the Milky Way, is destined to collide with the Andromeda galaxy several billion years from today.

IIRC some claimed somewhere that it will be one of the last observable major mergers.

Is that so, and does that take the accelerating expansion into consideration to inflate [sic?] the rareness of the event? (I.e., the observable universe will then be less rich in galaxies, mergers or not, as they drop out of sight.)

If it’s true, I don’t know if our descendants are to be congratulated for the long last act of the local volume, or not.

By: Buzz Lightyear

Buzz Lightyear — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 14:24:30 +0000

Gravity Rules!!!

By: marianna

marianna — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 03:51:41 +0000

fatherdaddy….type in “colliding galaxies” into Google, click the Images tab, then Enter. That will provide you with what you seek.

By: Arkonbey

Arkonbey — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 03:20:36 +0000

Wow. astounding. I remember a much simpler bit like this from Cosmos. I remember being slightly horrified at the perceived destruction. I mean, an event like that would cause incalculable damage to millions of worlds.

Wait, I’m still slightly horrified.

By: kuhnigget

kuhnigget — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 02:57:56 +0000

Okay, totally off topic, but is anyone else getting really sick of accidentally rolling over that Pfizer ad?

By: IBY

IBY — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 02:10:33 +0000

@TEL
Yeah, scientists call the hypothetical unified future galaxy “Milkomeda,” a bit corny, but appropriate enough.

By: Kevin F.

Kevin F. — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 02:02:00 +0000

It was very pretty but a little dull after the first pass.

By: fatherdaddy

fatherdaddy — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 01:26:11 +0000

Nice, but, I’d like to see how that simulation compares to reality. Show me the pictures of galaxies in some stage of this type of collision. They don’t look like what they’re showing me on Galaxy Zoo.

By: T.E.L.

T.E.L. — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 00:39:02 +0000

HWRmaupin Said:

“On the ‘read more’ page it mentions 2Myr per frame. For a laymans info, does that indicate that the merger would take many millions of years?”

Oh yes. One revolution of a spiral galaxy out in our neck of the woods is on the order of 1/4 billion years. Collisions take even longer. These things are exercises in patience.

Incidentally, our galaxy, the Milky Way, is destined to collide with the Andromeda galaxy several billion years from today.