In a few billion years, our galaxy, the Milky Way, will collide and merge with the Andromeda galaxy, our spatial neighbor, in a cosmic event that could impact the entire solar system.
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For a long time, astronomers have been talking about the imminent collision between the two galaxies, and thanks to data obtained through the Hubble Space Telescope, this research has gained a simulation of this significant galactic event.
According to NASA, the collision will result in a significant transformation of both galaxies. Scientists illustrate the collision with a baseball analogy, where the Milky Way would be the batter, and the ball would be Andromeda, moving at a speed of 110 kilometers per second.
When they collide, in about 4 billion years, the stars within each galaxy will not collide, but they will be thrown into different orbits around the new galactic center. For example, our Sun will be thrown into a new region, which could affect Earth.
The complete merger of the Milky Way with Andromeda is projected to occur two billion years after the encounter of the two. Check out the simulation: