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A comment on New study shows Small Magellanic Cloud is two smaller galaxies. Parent comment

Re:New study shows Small Magellanic Cloud is two smaller gal... by throwawaymaths on Wednesday January 03, 2024 @12:49AM (#38851177)
Shouldn't gravitational friction from dark matter slow the MCs down enough that they won't escape?
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Re:New study shows Small Magellanic Cloud is two smaller gal... by ben_w on Wednesday January 03, 2024 @03:58AM (#38852064)
Given dark matter isn't yet well characterised, there definitely isn't a "should" in what we know.

But I'd be surprised, because if it was even a possibility that it might be able to apply a friction force large enough to be relevant to to the relative motion of the galaxies, I think a lot of people would be talking about this in the same breath as the bullet cluster.

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