Experts Say Milky Way Has 50-50 Chance of Colliding with Neighbor Galaxy. But When?
- Astronomers presented new research on June 8, 2025, showing the Milky Way has about a 50% chance of colliding with the Andromeda galaxy within 10 billion years.
- This revised probability arises after analyzing data from Gaia and Hubble telescopes and running 100,000 simulations including various gravitational factors and uncertainties.
- Researchers led by Till Sawala indicate the Milky Way–Andromeda merger, known as Milkomeda, was previously considered almost certain to occur in 4 to 5 billion years, but new evidence suggests a more uncertain future.
- Carlos Frenk from Durham University warns the Milky Way is more likely to merge with the Large Magellanic Cloud within 2 billion years, a scenario with near certainty according to simulations accounting for 22 variables.
- These findings imply the Milky Way’s ultimate fate may not be a guaranteed collision with Andromeda, highlighting uncertainties about galaxy motions and encouraging further data collection in 2026 to clarify the outcome.
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Colliding Galaxies Tearing at Each Other with Gravity and Radiation
Astronomers recently used a pair of powerful telescopes to zero in on a cosmic battle going on some 11 billion light-years away from us. The combatants are a pair of galaxies charging at each other over and over again, at velocities upwards of 500 kilometers per second. According to one of the scientists studying the scene, one galaxy is cutting into the heart of the other with a blast of radiation.
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Leaning Left3Leaning Right4Center18Last UpdatedBias Distribution72% Center
Bias Distribution
- 72% of the sources are Center
72% Center
12%
C 72%
R 16%
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