What are structural disruption in galaxies?

Galaxies are like big groups of stars that dance together, and structural disruption is when they start to change shape or break apart because something happens to them.

Imagine you're playing with a toy train set, the tracks are straight, and all the cars are lined up nicely. But then someone bumps the table, and suddenly the tracks twist, some cars fall off, and others zoom off in different directions. That’s like structural disruption in galaxies.

Sometimes, galaxies get bumped by other big things, like when another galaxy comes close or crashes into them. This is like if your toy train set got hit by a bigger train from the side. The tracks bend, some cars stop, and others go flying off in new directions. The whole layout changes, that’s structural disruption.

After a bump, galaxies might stretch out, get squished, or even break into smaller pieces. It’s like when you drop your cookie jar, the cookies spread out, some crumble, and others roll to different corners of the kitchen. Galaxies do something similar, but with stars and gas instead of cookies.