All eyes are on Comet 3I/Atlas as astronomers worldwide chase the exotic ice ball through our solar system ...

Arizona is an ideal spot to see the Milky Way thanks to its numerous dark-sky places. Here's the best time to see - and ...

Andromeda is tidally stretched out following its first close pass by the Milky Way, which is also warped. Illustration by NASA, ESA, Z. Levay and R. van der Marel (STScI), and A. Mellinger ...

They explored how the Milky Way, Andromeda, and their significant satellite galaxies, like M33 and the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), interact gravitationally. Possible future MW-M31 orbits.

These companion galaxies exert gravitational tugs that change the motions of their hosts. M33 nudges Andromeda slightly toward the Milky Way, increasing the chance of a merger.

Previous research into the impending merger assumed that Andromeda’s transverse motion was small, making the potential for a Milky Way merger much higher. But the newest findings suggest otherwise.

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).

New study puts odds at 50-50 In this combination of images from NASA/ESA shows three future scenarios for Milky Way & Andromeda encounter. Top left: Galaxies bypass at 1 million light-year separation.

New study puts odds at 50-50 In this combination of images from NASA/ESA shows three future scenarios for Milky Way & Andromeda encounter. Top left: Galaxies bypass at 1 million light-year separation.