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Similar to how the oceans on Earth have tides at their shores, galaxies in the universe also go through tides, but on a much grander scale.

Facts About:

• Galactic tides are like gravitational pulls that objects within a galaxy, like our Milky Way, experience due to the galaxy's gravitational field.
• These tidal forces happen because of the gravitational interactions between celestial objects, such as stars and gas clouds, within the galaxy.
• Galactic tides have several effects on a galaxy's evolution.

They can change the shape of a galaxy by creating tidal tails and bridges, encouraging the birth of new stars, and disrupting smaller star systems.

• They also alter the paths that stars follow in their orbits, causing long-term changes in a galaxy's structure.
• Galactic tides even play a role in how nearby galaxies interact or don't interact with each other.

For example, when studying Andromeda, the closest galaxy to the Milky Way, researchers have noticed tidal streams near its edges.

• These streams may be signs of dwarf galaxies that were swallowed by Andromeda over time.
• Galactic tides also impact the supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies, leading to events that change how these cosmic giants interact with nearby stars.