Why is the Milky Way a bared galaxy?

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SUMMARY

The Milky Way is classified as a barred spiral galaxy due to its distinct central bar structure formed primarily from stars. This bar is believed to result from gravitational interactions and mergers with other galaxies, which funnel gas into the central bulge, where supermassive black holes, such as Sagittarius A*, reside. The discussion highlights that as galaxies age and undergo collisions, they may evolve into elliptical galaxies, indicating a lifecycle influenced by galactic mergers. The formation and evolution of bars in galaxies is an ongoing area of research in astronomy.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of barred spiral galaxy classification
  • Familiarity with galaxy mergers and their effects
  • Knowledge of supermassive black holes, specifically Sagittarius A*
  • Basic concepts of galaxy evolution and lifecycle
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the formation mechanisms of barred spiral galaxies
  • Study the implications of galaxy mergers on galactic structure
  • Explore the lifecycle of galaxies transitioning from spiral to elliptical forms
  • Investigate the role of density waves in maintaining galactic structures
USEFUL FOR

Astronomy enthusiasts, astrophysicists, and students studying galaxy formation and evolution will benefit from this discussion.

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One thing I do know for sure is that it is expected that after colliding with Andromeda it will become an elliptical galaxy. I think the same is true, or at least believed to be true for most if not all spiral or spiral barred galaxies after enough collisions with similar sized/mass galaxies.

This leads me to believe that it has to do with the age of a galaxy, or more precisely how many merges it has had in it's life time. I am not certain of this part but it is my educated guess based upon this that most if not all galaxies start off as spiral galaxies and ours is just younger in that regard. I wouldn't post a response with a guess normally but I did give factual information as well, and am just giving my guess to continue the chain of logic. I'm going to research that now though. As for the barred aspect, I haven't a clue.
 
Barred galaxy = merger of 2 galaxies?
 
Last edited:
Imax said:
Barred galaxy = merger of 2 galaxies?

Excerpt:


The bars are mostly stars (usually), unlike spiral arms (which have lots of gas and dust besides stars). The formation and evolution of bars is an active area of research in astronomy today; they seem to form from close encounters of the galaxy kind (galaxy near-collisions), funnel gas into the central bulge (where the super-massive black holes there snack on it), and are sustained by the same density waves which keep the arms alive.
http://www.universetoday.com/40300/barred-spiral-galaxy/
 

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