Will our galaxy really collide with Andromeda? Maybe not

image via Space.com

August 22, 2024, 8:01 PM

• •Astronomers have long considered it inevitable that our home galaxy, the Milky Way, will merge with the neighboring Andromeda galaxy within the next 5 billion years.
• •A new simulation suggests the chance of this clash happening comes down to a coin flip — at least, within the next 10 billion years.
• •The new study still allows for a 50% chance of collision, however, which Lingam emphasized is not a negligible probability.

Astronomers have long considered it inevitable that our home galaxy, the Milky Way, will merge with the neighboring Andromeda galaxy within the next 5 billion years. However, a new simulation suggests the chance of this clash happening comes down to a coin flip — at least, within the next 10 billion years.

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