Produced by: Tarun Mishra
Astronomers estimate a 50% chance that the Andromeda galaxy will collide with the Milky Way within the next 10 billion years. This event could result in the merging of the two galaxies, with significant consequences for Earth and its solar system.
Credit: NASA
If the collision occurs, the Milky Way and Andromeda would form a new, super galaxy named 'Milkdromeda.' During this process, stars and planets from both galaxies could be thrown together, potentially altering the cosmic structure.
While there’s a small chance that Earth may not survive the merger, scientists believe that even if the sun doesn’t collide with another star, its position in relation to Earth could change. This shift could threaten life on Earth by altering the planet’s orbit.
NASA projects that the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies will merge into a large elliptical galaxy in about 4.5 billion years. This new galaxy would have a stretched, circular shape due to the gravitational forces at play.
Other galaxies in the Local Group, including the Large Magellanic Cloud and the Triangulum Galaxy, may affect the merger’s course. The gravitational pull of these nearby galaxies could influence the timing and nature of the Andromeda-Milky Way collision.
The new study used data from the Gaia and Hubble space telescopes to predict the evolution of the Local Group galaxies over the next 10 billion years. The research suggests uncertainties in galaxy positions and masses could lead to different outcomes than previously assumed.
Although the likelihood is low, there is a possibility that stars, including our sun, may collide during the merger. A close pass by another star could disrupt the Earth’s orbit, either causing it to freeze or overheat, depending on the outcome.
While the Andromeda-Milky Way collision may not occur for billions of years, the fate of Earth in such a scenario remains uncertain. If life still exists on Earth by then, the collision could drastically affect the planet’s position in the galaxy and its potential for sustaining life.