A collision between the Milky Way and neighboring galaxy Andromeda is far from a sure thing; in fact, it could hinge on the flip of a cosmic coin.

The probability of the Milky Way colliding with the Andromeda galaxy within the next 10 billion years is now estimated at 50%, lower and farther in the future than previous predictions.

But the only way to get to a new prediction about the eventual fate of the Milky Way will be with even better data.” DOI: Nature Astronomy, 2025. 10.1038/s41550-025-02563-1 ( About DOIs ).

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — It turns out that looming collision between our Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies might not happen after all.. Astronomers reported Monday that the probability of the two ...

Left: An illustration shows a stage in the potential merger between the Milky Way galaxy and the neighboring Andromeda galaxy, as viewed in Earth's night sky in 3.75 billion years. Andromeda (left ...

They found that the effects of the neighboring Triangulum galaxy increased the likelihood of a merger between the Milky Way and Andromeda, while the Large Magellanic Cloud decreased those chances ...

Milky Way's chance of colliding with galaxy billions of years from now? New study puts odds at 50-50 By MARCIA DUNN , AP Aerospace Writer Updated June 2, 2025 9:35 a.m.

For over a decade, researchers have suggested a high possibility of our Milky Way galaxy smashing into neighboring galaxy Andromeda around 5 billion years from now. The collision would merge the ...

They found that the effects of the neighboring Triangulum galaxy increased the likelihood of a merger between the Milky Way and Andromeda, while the Large Magellanic Cloud decreased those chances ...

The Milky Way was on a collision course with a neighboring galaxy. Not anymore. NASA scientists had forecast an impending crash in four billion years, sending the sun flying ...