Cosmic Collision: Andromeda and the Milky Way on a Collision Course

Astronomers predict that the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) and the Milky Way will collide in about 4 billion years, resulting in a wave of star formation and the creation of new emission nebulae and open clusters. The collision will distort the skies above Earth, with streams of stars being flung outward and the spiral structures of both galaxies gradually being erased. Eventually, the merger will form an elliptical supergalaxy known as Milkomeda.