Interacting Galaxies

Below is a simulation I ran of a low surface brightness galaxy (with exponential scale length 5.0 kpc) merging with a high surface brightness galaxy (scale length = 3.5 kpc.) Niether galaxy contains gas. Both are 10^12 solar masses, have the same dark matter profiles, and they each contain the same number of stars. The galaxies are put on a parabolic orbit with their centers initially two virial radii apart such that the orbit's pericenter distance will be 0.2 times each halo's virial radius. The LSB is randomly oriented and the HSB is set on a direct approach. The simulation time from start to finish is 6 billion years.

Galaxy Merger Movie