Name: The Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies will Someday Collide
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Astronomers estimate that in about 4.5 billion years, the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies will collide. Here's how it'll happen.

The Milky Way as we know it today is not eternal.

The Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies will Someday Collide

Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies will Someday Collide

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Astronomers estimate that in about 4.5 billion years, the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies will collide. Here's how it'll happen.

The Milky Way as we know it today is not eternal.

Space & Flight

The Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies will Someday CollidePublished: November 17, 2021Narrator: The Milky Way as we know it today is not eternal. And Earth will witness the final act. Two galaxies in a single sky. Gradually, but inevitably, merging into one.Rana Ezzeddine: There is absolute evidence that Andromeda is going to collide with the Milky Way one day because they are pulling each other closer and closer over time and one day they're just gonna come so close that they will collide.David Rosario: Andromeda and the Milky Way, when they come together, sparks fly.Michelle Collins: It's gonna be an incredible time if we are able to view this collision happening. It would be amazing to watch the night sky change over time.Gerry Gilmore: It'd be a really nice sight actually. Yeah, just watch it coming. There's nothing you can do about it except sit back and enjoy the view.Collins: We'll end up smashing these two galaxies together. There may be a huge burst of star formation initially, which will light up the night sky with fireworks, and then over time, that'll burn off all the remaining gas we have in these two galaxies.Narrator: But unlike in previous collisions, this time, our galaxy is the smaller of the two. Andromeda and the Milky Way pull at other's spiral arms. Scattering stars until no trace of the original structures remain. Two spiral galaxies merged into one colossal mass of stars.

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The Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies will Someday Collide

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Explore More

In a first, astronomers find a potential planet outside the Milky Way

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