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RE: Beautiful Corner of the Universe - The Andromeda Galaxy
It is interesting that long before the collision, the, Andromeda galaxy will get easier and easier to see with the naked eye. That is going to be incredible.
I wonder what the distance will be before it becomes as visible as our moon in terms of how much real estate it takes up in the sky. Seems there will be a nice viewing distance before it get so close our entire sky is changed ...wonder what the early part of the collision will look like to observers here on earth.
The galaxies are moving towards each other at around 402,000 kilometers per hour, and it will take around 4 billion years for the collision. Upon collision our sun will have expanded but not yet be a red giant. Source
"I wonder what the distance will be before it becomes as visible as our moon in terms of how much real estate it takes up in the sky. "
It is actually pretty easy to calculate knowing it's diameter, distance and apparent size, but I am too lazy to do it :)
Guess you already read it, but most likely Solar system won't be affected by the collision. and time and duration of the collisions depend on different models in simulations.
I saw a program awhile back and they speculated how in the future Andromeda will be visible in the night sky. I forget their prediction in terms of years, but it is long before the earth is too hot for humans as we know it. It is interesting that our galaxy will change into a giant elliptical galaxy before the sun expands enough to take out the earth.
As far as the calculation, while I understand what you are saying I am not aware of the formula. It is so far off, I will just enjoy the simulations :-)