The Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies, located 2.5 million light-years apart, are gravitationally bound and have been anticipated to collide. Over the past century, scientists believed they were on an inevitable trajectory towards a galactic merger. However, a new study published in Nature Astronomy indicates that this collision and merger may never happen. The study alters the understanding of the long-term dynamics between these neighboring galaxies, suggesting that their gravitational interaction may not lead to a catastrophic encounter or merger as previously expected.
The Andromeda galaxy lies just beyond our galaxy, about 2.5 million light-years beyond, and they are gravitationally bound, existing in a long-term dance of doom.
A recent paper suggests this cosmic game of bumper cars may never come to a head at all, challenging long-held beliefs about their eventual collision.
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