New Research Casts Doubt on Imminent Collision Between Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies

1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,568 New Research Casts Doubt on Imminent Col. lision Between Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies 2 00:00:05,568 --> 00:00:11,736 In this section , astronomers reevaluate a popular theory about the fate of our galaxy that dates back to 1912 . 3 00:00:12,736 --> 00:00:20,824 They initially believed a collision between the Milky Way and its largest neighbor , the Andromeda galaxy , would occur in 4.5 billion years . 4 00:00:21,824 --> 00:00:28,056 However , recent research suggests this event , known as ' Milkomeda ' , is less likely than previously thought . 5 00:00:29,056 --> 00:00:41,571 At first glance , it appears that the two galaxies , located about 2.5 million light - years apart , are destined to collide since they approach each other at a speed of approximately 100 kilometers per second . 6 00:00:42,571 --> 00:00:55,810 Scientists also took into account the Local Group 's 100 smaller known galaxies , such as the Large Magellanic Cloud and M33 ( the Triangle galaxy ) , to determine their influence on our galaxy over the next 10 billion years . 7 00:00:56,810 --> 00:01:12,620 After considering the gravitational pull of these galaxies and analyzing data from the Hubble and Gaia space telescopes through 100,000 simulations , researchers found a 50 % probability of collision between the Milky Way and Andromeda in the next 10 billion years . 8 00:01:13,620 --> 00:01:22,807 Contrary to earlier beliefs , there is only a 2 % chance that the galaxies will collide within 4 or 5 billion years , according to the study published Monday . 9 00:01:23,807 --> 00:01:34,465 In summary , this new research challenges existing theories about our galaxy 's future and highlights the importance of considering other celestial bodies ' impact on cosmic events .