Our Great Neighbor

You may already know that the galaxy to which we belong is the Milky Way and that there are a limitless amount of galaxies in the observable universe. Though it may sound like a great distance, approximately 2.5 million light years away there exists our closest neighbor. The Great Andromeda Nebula, better known as the Andromeda Galaxy is a spiral galaxy just like our own. Our great neighbor is larger in size and mass.

One interesting aspect worth noting about Andromeda is its influence on the Milky Way. Scientists speculate that the gravitational pull of this galaxy and our own are close enough to influence each other. 

With this in mind, it has been measured that we are being redshifted (moving towards) to Andromeda. In theory, our two bodies will eventually collide and the Milky Way will be absorbed to form a new galaxy made of both.

FUN FACT! Leading astronomers believe that during the collision the stars within each galaxy are spread so far apart that few if any will directly impact the others. The Super Massive Black Holes in the center of each galaxy will crash into each other at accelerated speeds. 

This is what the Andromeda Galaxy would look like in the sky if it were much brighter.

Check out this short computer simulation of what the collision might look like!