If the Hubble flow shows recessional velocity proportional to distance, why is Andromeda's approach speed only $110 ext{ km/s}$?

Answer

Andromeda's approach speed is determined by local gravitational acceleration, which is the determining factor for nearby objects.

The text contrasts the vast speeds generated by cosmic expansion over cosmological distances with the speeds observed locally. For a galaxy $100$ million light-years away, the expansion velocity due to the Hubble flow can be around $7,000 ext{ km/s}$. However, for a nearby galaxy like Andromeda, the local gravitational interaction between it and the Milky Way generates an actual physical velocity of approach of about $110 ext{ km/s}$. While the Hubble flow dominates on the grandest scales, on the neighborhood scale (tens of millions of light-years), the mutual gravitational attraction is the stronger, determining factor in relative motion, resulting in blueshift rather than redshift.

If the Hubble flow shows recessional velocity proportional to distance, why is Andromeda's approach speed only $110 	ext{ km/s}$?

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