NASA confirms Milky Way Galaxy on collision course with Andromeda Galaxy

Posted on May 31, 2012 by
May 31. 2012 – SPACE – NASA astronomers announced Thursday they can now predict with certainty the next major cosmic event to affect our galaxy, sun, and solar system: the titanic collision of our Milky Way galaxy with the neighboring Andromeda galaxy. The Milky Way is destined to get a major makeover during the encounter, which is predicted to happen four billion years from now. It is likely the sun will be flung into a new region of our galaxy, but our Earth and solar system are in no danger of being destroyed. “Our findings are statistically consistent with a head-on collision between the Andromeda galaxy and our Milky Way galaxy,” said Roeland van der Marel of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore. The solution came through painstaking NASA Hubble Space Telescope measurements of the motion of Andromeda, which also is known as M31. The galaxy is now 2.5 million light-years away, but it is inexorably falling toward the Milky Way under the mutual pull of gravity between the two galaxies and the invisible dark matter that surrounds them both. “After nearly a century of speculation about the future destiny of Andromeda and our Milky Way, we at last have a clear picture of how events will unfold over the coming billions of years,” said Sangmo Tony Sohn of STScI. -Physics
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41 Responses to NASA confirms Milky Way Galaxy on collision course with Andromeda Galaxy

  1. Emanuel says:
    May 31, 2012 at 9:02 pm

    Thanks for sharing Alvin. Quite interesting.

    However, this should be the least of our worries.

    Reply
  2. woudnlie says:
    May 31, 2012 at 9:03 pm

    I wonder if it is not sooner… The Nasa group have been saying a lot latley as we have seen the ghost spirals ,and they said it was from millions of years ago.. Why hasn’t any of this been seen before? Looks like we are beginning to split cell with our galaxy. go into 2 pieces.. new galaxies.. soo much information, and then again , not enough!!

    Reply
  3. David Rookes says:
    May 31, 2012 at 9:04 pm

    I plan to live until I am 4 billion years old and then watch it happen, and so far so good. Unless you plan the same, don’t let it give you nightmares.

    Reply
  4. m c says:
    May 31, 2012 at 9:13 pm

    WHEW I’m glad they got that squared away.(thank you nasa — heres a scooby snack *)

    Interesting but not really relevant to whats going to happen in the next year, decade or century.

    Reply
  5. Dave H. says:
    May 31, 2012 at 9:15 pm

    That’s funny. They can detect this… billions of years away but totally miss an asteroid 8,000 miles away. What???

    Reply
    • The Extinction Protocol says:
      May 31, 2012 at 9:27 pm

      Kinda like NASA controlling a remote rover on Mars from Earth but can’t build a remote that will work to open your garage door when you’re 10 feet upon it.

      Reply
    • Logan says:
      June 16, 2012 at 6:23 pm

      You are talking about the difference between a galaxy and a rock. For comparison, the scale we’re talking about is being able to see a football stadium before you see a sesame seed.

      Reply
  6. Bruce says:
    May 31, 2012 at 9:32 pm

    “It is likely the sun will be flung into a new region of our galaxy, but our Earth and solar system are in no danger of being destroyed.”

    I love lines like this. How do they know??!! They can’t even predict this weekends weather!!!! I think if the sun was flung into a new region it would have catastrophic consequences for the earth! Scientists and their long list of nonsense.

    Reply
    • King kevin says:
      June 1, 2012 at 9:58 pm

      Bruce this is exactly all I could take from it. Our sun being flung to a different part of the galaxy and no danger doesn’t even make sense. lol. Why is planet Earth so fruitful? Because of it’s distance to the sun. Why are the other planet so not? Because of their distance from the sun. It just shows you NASA will cover up Earth’s demise a billion years from now, what makes us think they wouldn’t hide it anytime sooner?

      Reply
  7. Martin says:
    May 31, 2012 at 9:34 pm

    over the coming billions of year, pfff nothing to worrie about now.

    Reply
  8. Andrew says:
    May 31, 2012 at 9:46 pm

    I, Andrew, being of sound mind and body hereby declare this as my last will and testement…

    Reply
  9. HERMENATOR says:
    May 31, 2012 at 9:52 pm

    What a bunch of 4 billion years of wasted effort, maybe they could put this effort into a more productive way……. like who gives a s–t what is happening in 4 billion years from now really.
    I just wonder who is paying this idiots salary.

    Reply
  10. L0lzer says:
    May 31, 2012 at 10:12 pm

    In 4 billion years we might have found a way to move entire galaxies… So if someone 4 billion years from now sees this, Hello!

    Reply
  11. tonic says:
    May 31, 2012 at 10:19 pm

    Wonder what the night sky would look like as it approached.

    Reply
  12. Thomas says:
    May 31, 2012 at 10:27 pm

    “we at last have a clear picture of how events will unfold over the coming billions of years”

    What a loser.

    Reply
  13. Joseph t. Repas says:
    May 31, 2012 at 10:29 pm

    Good, As I have already reserved my vacation week for that date! My only concern however is whether the sun will then be a Red Giant star or a neutron star by then…doesn’t matter though because right after the merging of the galaxies I’m going to Disney land!

    Reply
  14. John David says:
    May 31, 2012 at 10:51 pm

    “The galaxy is now 2.5 million light-years away, but it is inexorably falling toward the Milky Way under the mutual pull of gravity between the two galaxies and the invisible dark matter that surrounds them both. “ i was under the impression or maybe I should say catapulted by the impression that gravity was a push not a pull. Anyways I find it funny how they say they now have a clear picture of how “events” are going to unfold. They still don’t know or are hush hush about the effects of local interstellar space dust density which we are entering now.

    Reply
  15. Texas Listening Post, Tony says:
    June 1, 2012 at 12:15 am

    It means nothing, just a PR release to cover NASA’s (Never A Straight Answer) failures that can be measured, who will measure their correctness on this one? One Navy Commander told me we concern ourselves with the mice while the elephants are running off. If NASA would put their minds to relevant problems such as how to divert an asteroid from impacting the earth. The US will be hard pressed to fund NASA’s “Pie In the Sky” programs, when people are begging in the streets.

    As a side note: Alvin can I purchase “The 7th Protocol from a book store in Cambridge in July? I shall make another trip to the UK.

    Reply
    • The Extinction Protocol says:
      June 1, 2012 at 1:12 am

      Hopefully, it should be available through the global network by then, Tony. I hope you certainly get your hands on a copy, if now it should be available via Amazon.UK

      Thanks as always for checking in..

      Alvin

      Reply
  16. ashuka says:
    June 1, 2012 at 12:31 am

    Thanks for the info Alvin. NASA should try and whats happening now instead of worrying about whats going to happen billions of years from now. Bruce i agree with you its all just nonsense.

    Reply
  17. m says:
    June 1, 2012 at 3:40 am

    Help! I must save my children’s, children’s, children’s …. :-)

    Reply
  18. daniel says:
    June 1, 2012 at 6:01 am

    4 billion years what a diversion from things of the now!!!!

    Reply
  19. Columbine says:
    June 1, 2012 at 6:25 am

    I don’t think this is nonsense at all. How do we know that the gravitational effect of one galaxy approaching another is not part of what is causing the changes in our own solar system? Galaxies are HUGE and I’m sure they have some effect on the areas of space surrounding each one. If there is a “pull” between these two galaxies of some sort, an “attraction” so to speak, it could be causing changes in the movements of asteroids, rotations of planets around the sun, magnetic changes within the whole solar system, electrical changes and who knows what else. The Milky Way Galaxy could be changing as a galaxy, which in turn could change our little solar system drastically. The study of this happening is not useless information in the larger scope of man’s knowledge of the universe. I’m glad someone is looking at the broader picture because looking at the smaller picture all the time can be downright depressing. At one time people believed the earth was flat and why bother to explore further – after all, there was a war going on somewhere in Europe! (There will always be wars because we sin continually. Look at history! Until Jesus Christ returns there will always be a war somewhere – many somewheres! – on planet earth.)

    Reply
    • RainMan says:
      June 1, 2012 at 11:35 am

      Nice to read science and faith getting along.

      Reply
    • merle says:
      June 5, 2012 at 9:21 pm

      This theory about our solar system changing drastically from the gravitational pull of other galaxies makes sense to me, and what also makes sense is that we would NEVER be told up front= total chaos for our human race. We have to keep our faith strong as believers in Jesus Christ. Yes, it is indeed more important to live as Jesus taught us to, and not worry needlessly about things out of our control, but it’s still human nature to “want to know.” Isn’t that one of the reasons we come to this wonderful site? May God be with us always!

      Reply
  20. nanoduck says:
    June 1, 2012 at 3:20 pm

    Interesting. Just remember that time is relative and exist only in this physical sphere; however outside of it on the other side one can move back and forth between distant past and future. So it is possible to see entire development of the universe. “To God, a day is a thousand years and a thousand years is a day” Or something like that. That is eternity, my friend.

    Reply
    • RainMan says:
      June 1, 2012 at 5:08 pm

      Agree totaly about man made physical time, a minuscule drop in the ocean compared to the universe, humbling to say the least.

      Reply
  21. k says:
    June 1, 2012 at 8:40 pm

    And yet again, media blasts us with facts that neither pertain to us or have any part in serious scientific conversation. I’m beginning to appreciate this website more every day as a true source, and communication resource. Thank you, Alvin. I think you are spot on.
    Here is a previously published report about our cannibal galaxy currently at work on the smaller Sagittarius galaxy. This isn’t billions of years in the future. It is now. Fascinating.
    http://www.astro.virginia.edu/~mfs4n/sgr/

    Reply
  22. shanewinter says:
    June 2, 2012 at 12:16 pm

    So how did they come to the conclusion that the Earth will not come to harm without a Sun? Placing fear in the minds if you ask me. We have to get rid of our fears, as fears hold us back Spiritually.

    Reply
    • The Extinction Protocol says:
      June 2, 2012 at 12:46 pm

      IMG

      “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” -Isaiah 43:2

      Avoiding fear is psychological weakness and a sign of fear itself. As a matter of fact, ‘avoidance‘ is a symptom of what psychologists call maladaptive coping. Conquering fear by triumphing over them is the path to strength of the soul.

      “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” Romans 8:37

      Reply
  23. dawn jackson says:
    October 14, 2012 at 6:51 pm

    I understand that we are headed for the milkyway but we will absorb all the force from the ongoing galexy. We will develops an instinct to find our way

    Reply
  24. Valenzy says:
    January 18, 2013 at 9:25 pm

    Am happy dat the collision btw milky way and andromeda is approxmatly 2.5 billion years so that we wont experience such cosmic disaster

    Reply

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