For years, astronomers have predicted a dramatic fate for our galaxy: a head-on collision with Andromeda, our nearest large galactic neighbor. This merger—expected in about 5 billion years—has ...

It's been textbook knowledge for over a century that our Milky Way galaxy is doomed to collide with another large spiral galaxy, Andromeda, in the next 5 billion years and merge into one even ...

New study puts odds at 50-50 In this combination of images from NASA/ESA shows three future scenarios for Milky Way & Andromeda encounter. Top left: Galaxies bypass at 1 million light-year separation.

New study puts odds at 50-50 In this combination of images from NASA/ESA shows three future scenarios for Milky Way & Andromeda encounter. Top left: Galaxies bypass at 1 million light-year separation.

The Andromeda galaxy, left, is about to collide with part of the Milky Way, as seen from Earth, in a hypothetical merger scenario. Credit: NASA illustration "Based on the best available data, the ...

A collision between our Milky Way galaxy and its largest neighbor, the Andromeda galaxy, predicted to occur in about 4.5 billion years, has been anticipated by astronomers since 1912.

A collision between our Milky Way galaxy and the neighboring Andromeda galaxy, long considered inevitable, may be in question, astronomers say.

Now, this decade-long belief is being challenged by new research that suggests the Milky Way and Andromeda may not be on a collision course after all. The study, published today in Nature ...

Credit: NASA/ESA Milky Way and Andromeda bypass at 1 million light year separation. At 500,000 light-years, dark matter provides friction that brings galaxies to a close encounter.

The Milky Way and the neighboring Andromeda galaxy are currently hurtling through space toward each other at a speed of about 250,000 miles per hour (400,000 kph), setting up a possible future ...