Scientists found out when the milky Way will collide with another galaxy
It will happen a little later than expected.
The collision of the milky Way spiral galaxy Andromeda will happen in about 4.5 billion years.
Such predictions scientists have made thanks to new data obtained by the space telescope Gaia European space Agency. According to preliminary estimates, the collision was supposed to happen much earlier — after about 3.9 billion years old. A new study published in the Astrophysical Journal.
We Finally Know When Our Milky Way Will Crash Into the Andromeda Galaxy https://t.co/O5qJFk8Qu1 pic.twitter.com/F66gRwzrx1
— SPACE.com (@SPACEdotcom) 8 Feb 2019
According to the researchers, this discovery is crucial for understanding how to develop and interact galaxy.
Gaia was launched in December 2013 to help researchers to create accurate three-dimensional map of the milky Way. It was published in April 2018 on the website of the European space Agency.
By the end of the mission, Gaia will monitor more than 1 billion stars, not only in the milky Way, but in the Andromeda galaxy and galaxy Triangle. These neighboring galaxies are between 2.5 to 3 million light years from the milky way and can interact with each other.
The study of the motion of galaxies in three-dimensional space helped to understand how they grew and developed and what influences their characteristics and behavior. The researchers first determined the speed of rotation of these galaxies, and the history of their movement in space and the future trajectory.