– Scientists have long believed that the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxy will eventually merge, but a new study suggests there is only a 50% chance of this happening in the next 10 billion years.
– The study takes into account the gravitational influence of other galaxies in the local group, such as M33 and the Large Magellanic Cloud, which could affect the trajectory of the Milky Way and Andromeda.
– The authors also consider the uncertainty in their calculations due to the complex interactions between the four galaxies, making precise predictions difficult.
– While time will eventually reveal the outcome, the merger, if it happens at all, will occur long after our sun has burned out, and humans may need to find a way to expand to new stars.
– The study was published in the arXiv preprint server.