Facts for Prelims (FFP)
Source: TH
Context: Galactic tides, similar to the tides in Earth’s oceans but on a much larger scale, are caused by gravitational forces within galaxies, resulting from interactions between celestial objects like stars and gas clouds.
- These tidal forces play a significant role in shaping the evolution of galaxies. They can alter a galaxy’s structure by creating features like tidal tails and bridges, stimulating star formation, and disrupting smaller star systems.
- Over vast stretches of time, galactic tides also perturb the orbits of stars, leading to long-term changes in the structure of galaxies. Galactic tides even influence how neighbouring galaxies interact with each other.
- Galactic tides also impact supermassive black holes located at the centres of galaxies, resulting in events that alter how these cosmic giants interact with nearby stars.
