How does the Milky Way galaxy move in the local Group?

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SUMMARY

The Milky Way galaxy moves within the Local Group, which is a gravitationally bound system. This group has a common center of mass around which its galaxies orbit, but due to its relatively small size—approximately 100 times the diameter of the Milky Way—galaxies interact in complex ways. Unlike stars in a galaxy, these interactions can lead to phenomena such as galactic disruption. Consequently, the motion of galaxies in the Local Group is not purely elliptical, influenced by gravitational interactions with satellite galaxies.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of gravitational binding in astrophysics
  • Familiarity with galaxy dynamics and motion
  • Knowledge of mass distribution in astronomical systems
  • Concept of satellite galaxies and their interactions
NEXT STEPS
  • Research gravitational binding in galaxy clusters
  • Study the dynamics of satellite galaxies in the Milky Way
  • Explore the concept of mass distribution in astrophysical systems
  • Learn about the interactions between galaxies in the Local Group
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Astronomers, astrophysics students, and anyone interested in the dynamics of galaxies and their interactions within the Local Group.

abdossamad2003
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How does the Milky Way galaxy move in the local Group? Is there a circular motion around the center of the local Group like the sun moves around the center of the galaxy?
 
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I believe the Local Group is gravitationally bound, so there is a common center about which its mass must collectively orbit. However, the group is only about 100 times the diameter of the Milky Way, so galaxies are much larger in comparison to the spaces between them than stars are, so they interact in more complex ways than stars typically do - ripping each other apart, for example.

All that means that I think you have a mass distribution that isn't really well described as a fluid (like a galaxy) or a collection of point masses orbiting one (like a solar system). So I would suspect that galaxy motions aren't pure ellipses, because they interact a lot (and there are definitely satellite galaxies of the Milky Way). But I am not certain.
 

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