Will the black hole of Milkomeda kill us?
Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 5:49 pm
Of course I have to rephrase the question in the heading. "We" will hardly be killed by the black hole of Milkomeda, the large elliptical galaxy that will form as the Milky Way and Andromeda merge. Seeing that this event is going to happen about three billion years from now, it's rather optimistic to think that "we" will be around to witness it.
Okay. But this merger will happen, according to the latest measurement by the Hubble Telescope. The Milky Way is a moderately gas-rich galaxy, and Andromeda is less so, but the combined amount of gas in these two galaxies is going to be enough to send enormous helpings of gas into the nuclei of Milky Way and Andromeda. And then, I suppose, the two central black holes will merge.
The problem is not going to be that either of the black hole is going to eat us (quite apart from the fact that we will hardly be around at that time). Rather, the problem is going to be that as this monstrous black hole guzzles tremendous helpings of gas (and I shudder to think what the actual merger of the two supermassive black holes will be like) it is going to burp such awful super-jets that it will clear Milkomeda of much of its gas, and the gas that remains will be hot and turbulent. Also, the black hole will likely blow away the thick dust that is shielding us here on Earth from the antics of the somewhat "moderate" black hole that is lurking at the center of our "unmerged" galaxy.
I'm wondering if the black hole is going to be the kind of monster that tears down all "safety equipment", all the airbags, all the safety belts, all the life vests, all the protection that our galaxy offers us at this time and shields us from the bad behavior of our central black hole.
When the super-monstrous black hole of Milkomeda forms, how likely is it to sterilize a lot of the life that may exist in our two galaxies?
Ann
Okay. But this merger will happen, according to the latest measurement by the Hubble Telescope. The Milky Way is a moderately gas-rich galaxy, and Andromeda is less so, but the combined amount of gas in these two galaxies is going to be enough to send enormous helpings of gas into the nuclei of Milky Way and Andromeda. And then, I suppose, the two central black holes will merge.
The problem is not going to be that either of the black hole is going to eat us (quite apart from the fact that we will hardly be around at that time). Rather, the problem is going to be that as this monstrous black hole guzzles tremendous helpings of gas (and I shudder to think what the actual merger of the two supermassive black holes will be like) it is going to burp such awful super-jets that it will clear Milkomeda of much of its gas, and the gas that remains will be hot and turbulent. Also, the black hole will likely blow away the thick dust that is shielding us here on Earth from the antics of the somewhat "moderate" black hole that is lurking at the center of our "unmerged" galaxy.
I'm wondering if the black hole is going to be the kind of monster that tears down all "safety equipment", all the airbags, all the safety belts, all the life vests, all the protection that our galaxy offers us at this time and shields us from the bad behavior of our central black hole.
When the super-monstrous black hole of Milkomeda forms, how likely is it to sterilize a lot of the life that may exist in our two galaxies?
Ann