Merging Galaxies

[earls]

New photos released of merging galaxies:

http://www.spacetelescope.org/news/html/heic0810.html

I believe it has been suggested and I am under the impression that "merging galaxies" are polar opposite Birkeland currents merging together?

Something like this is understandable...

http://www.spacetelescope.org/images/ht ... 810cg.html

They're rotating in opposite directions and are attracting as most "vortex theories" would predict.

But...

http://www.spacetelescope.org/images/ht ... 810am.html

These galaxies are rotating in the same direction... Unless there's a large galaxy that they're also interacting with (not pictured) shouldn't they be repulsing?

Is there anyone with some talent and understanding of the "right hand rule" that can mock up the EM fields and velocities on the images?

Or is it as simple as they say and EU plays no role: "Firstly, stars in galaxies, unlike the matter that makes up the Earth, are bound together only by the force of gravity."

I also mentioned on the Physorg article: "Interesting they mention Arp, but not "intrinsic redshift." Curious because we're lead to believe the Universe is expanding at an increasing rate (due to redshift observations), yet everything is merging together? This is only a suggestion, as the picture is much to large for me to fathom and conceptualize, especially with my limited amount of studied data."

You know, they give him credit for his hard work and understanding of his collection (atlas) of galaxies then turn around and go "but your ideas are nuts."

[MGmirkin]

In the last image, it seems hard to tell "depth"... Are these galaxies "next to" each other (on the same plane) or stacked (above / below; in front of / behind one another)? That would probably make a difference in how the image is interpreted... It's kind of hard to figure out 3-dimensionality from this image.

IE, if one accepts tentatively that these may have come out of large-scale Birkeland current(s), the question might be "one, or two?" IE, are they separate items on separate twined currents (if they're located on the same plane), or are they separate items on the SAME Birkeland current (if they're one slightly closer and one slightly further away)?

Are there two twined currents in the direction of our line of sight to the objects, or is there a single current from say the middle upper right, toward the middle left (closer to further away?) that intersects both of them?

Just an off-the-cuff thought,
~Michael Gmirkin

[earls]

Really good point Michael, that didn't even cross my mind. Yes, I agree, the depth perception of a lot of these makes studying them near impossible.

[StefanR]

Personally I think one needs for images like

http://www.spacetelescope.org/images/ht ... 810cg.html

multi-wavelenght images and good deep-sky images all side by side.

[Eres]

We always reads of merging galaxies, it always concerns phenomena of mitosis.

[pln2bz]

btw, My vague understanding is that Arp's reputation as an astronomer preceded his reputation as a heretic, and numerous galaxies are known to this day by their Arp numbers. The fact that scientists don't think more about what Arp took a stand on says less about Arp, and more about the state of our culture (which scientists are just as much a part of), and its views of science.

[Michael Goodspeed]

This has been discussed in at least one previous TPOD:

The Galactic Mask Unveiled: http://www.thunderbolts.info/tpod/2008/ ... icmask.htm

[junglelord]

Here is a collection of Merging Galaxies
http://www.wired.com/science/space/mult ... lideView=8

[davesmith_au]

Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies - Halcton C Arp.

http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/A ... tents.html

AND you can download it as a PDF from that site. Too good.

Cheers, Dave Smith.