Hate to Disappoint, but that Collision Between the Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies? Well, it Might Not Pan Out

It's a toss-up, as astronomers recalculate the odds of a catastrophic mash-up

Sure, it’s five billion years in the future, but who among us does not like to plan ahead?

Well, hate to disappoint, but plans do change, and it turns out that the anticipated collision between our Milky Way Galaxy and our nearest space neighbor — Andromeda — may not happen after all.

For the longest time, astronomers believed this mashup was inevitable. But it turns out that with further study and taking into account the gravitation pull of other nearby galaxies — nearby in space terms, which is to say light years — it is no longer certain.

Maybe 50 — 50.

Not that any of us will be here for the event, but should the Milky Way get T-boned, not much good happens. The two galaxies would merge, stars would be jolted out of their orbits around the galactic center, and housing prices would rise.

(Just kidding about the housing prices. That presumes humans will even still be around then.)

As you would expect, the scientific report that this new conclusion is based on is highly technical, but here it is: