Beyond planets orbiting stars and stars circling galactic centers, the cosmic ballet continues on a grander scale. Do galaxies like our Milky Way orbit anything? To unravel this mystery, we must explore the mechanics of orbits. Objects in orbit exert gravitational pull on each other, creating a common center of mass. In the case of Earth and the moon, the massive Earth anchors the center of mass within itself, causing the moon to trace a circular path. However, at galactic scales, the dynamics become more intricate. Our Milky Way resides within the Local Group of galaxies, including Andromeda, Triangulum, and dwarf galaxies. Milky Way and Andromeda, the two dominant members, share a comparable mass, placing their center of mass between them. Without any significantly larger object nearby, these galaxies embark on a mutual orbit. Unlike planetary orbits, their trajectory is not elliptical but radial, driven by the gravitational pull between them. This gravitational dance will eventually culminate in a collision and merger, forming a massive elliptical galaxy. The Local Group itself is not stationary but drawn towards the Virgo Supercluster. However, our cosmic journey will not end there, as the expansion of the universe carries us ever onward.
Milky Way’s Cosmic Dance: Orbiting Andromeda and Beyond
