Milky Way-Andromeda Collision Odds Slash to Just 2%

New research challenges the long-held belief that the Milky Way will collide with the Andromeda galaxy in 4.5 billion years. Using data from NASA's Hubble and the European Space Agency's Gaia telescopes, scientists simulated the evolution of the Milky Way, Andromeda, and their largest satellite galaxies over the next 10 billion years. They found a mere 2% probability of a collision within the next 5 billion years, contradicting previous certainty. Most simulations showed close encounters before eventual merger due to orbital momentum loss. If a collision occurs, it's likely 7-8 billion years in the future, much later than predicted. The impact would be devastating, creating a spectacular cosmic firework display as gas funnels into a central black hole. Published in Nature Astronomy, this study highlights the power of data and supercomputers, offering new possibilities in our understanding of galactic evolution.