15/10/2025
𝑴𝒊𝒍𝒌𝒅𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒂: 𝑨 𝑮𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒔𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝑭𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 .𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅
If life is destined to change, why should the Milky Way be an exception? Everything in the universe is bound to change, reminding us that permanence is a chimera. Once thought of as steady and unchanging, the Milky Way is on a slow and inevitable transformation journey. Its closest galactic neighbor, the Andromeda Galaxy, lies about 2.5 million light-years away and is slowly moving towards the Milky Way at roughly 110 kilometers per second (NASA, 2012). In about 4 to 5 billion years, the two will collide and merge into a single galaxy nicknamed ‘Milkdromeda’ (Cox & Loeb, 2008).
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞
The first discovery was made in the early 20th century, when Vesto Slipher detected Andromeda's blueshift, providing the first evidence that the galaxy was moving towards the Milky Way (Britannica). This finding was later confirmed by the Hubble Space Telescope and advanced computer simulations, which revealed a clearer picture of the galaxy's future merger (NASA, 2012). In recent years, data from the Gaia mission have refined these models, offering accuracy in measuring the motions and positions of billions of stars.
These observations have allowed astronomers to better estimate the timing and trajectory of the Milky Way-Andromeda merger, suggesting that the first encounter will occur in about 4 billion years, followed by several orbital passes before a complete merge around 5 to 6 billion years from now (Sawala et al., 2024).
Contrary to catastrophic destruction, the merger is described as a natural galactic evolution in which stars will largely avoid direct collisions, though their orbits and distributions will be reshaped (Cox & Loeb, 2008). The constellations familiar to us today will slowly distort, vanish, or be replaced. Ultimately, this interaction will culminate in the formation of a new, larger galaxy—Milkdromeda (NASA, 2012).
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐃𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐫?
The Milky Way has absorbed several smaller galaxies before, but its future merger with Andromeda will be the most dramatic example yet (Sawala et al., 2025). Despite the word 'collision', the distances between stars make direct impacts unlikely; instead, gravity will reshape both galaxies over billions of years (Cox & Loeb, 2008). By that time, however, the Sun will be nearing its red giant phase, leaving Earth uninhabitable long before the merge is complete (NASA, 2012).
This event serves as a reminder that change is a natural process that shapes everything in the universe. From the tiniest particles to the largest galaxies, everything is constantly moving and changing, guided by forces far beyond our understanding. Yet, it is this impermanence that gives life its meaning and beauty, making us appreciate the wonders around us. As Carl Sagan once said, “We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.” Through every change and transformation, the universe continues to tell its own story.
𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐁𝐲 𝐊𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐧𝐚 𝐆𝐚𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐏. 𝐀𝐥𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐳𝐚
Sources:
Britannica:https://tinyurl.com/3pevhsue
RAS:https://tinyurl.com/2wf8wwff
ESA:https://tinyurl.com/536dyu5v
NASA:https://tinyurl.com/y2t9fzx3
Nature Astronomy:https://tinyurl.com/34dwxxwd
PHYS.ORG:https://tinyurl.com/msusnux9
NASA:https://tinyurl.com/2a4h8r65
Stay tuned to our page for more updates.
𝘈𝘥 𝘈𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢! ✵
