Andromeda (left) and the Milky Way (right) are predicted to collide within the next 8 billion years, changing both galaxies forever. New research suggests our galaxy may escape that fate. (Image courtesy of NASA Goddard)
A recent study found that the Milky Way has a 50-50 chance of colliding with a neighboring galaxy within the next 10 billion years.
However, while such odds may be worrying, new data suggests that a catastrophic collision is much less likely than previously thought.
Located about 2.5 million light-years away, the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is hurtling toward our Milky Way at a rate of 68 miles per second (or 110 kilometers per second). Because of this, astronomers have long predicted that the two galaxies would inevitably join in a fateful dance within the next few billion years—entangling and merging to create a new galaxy.
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