Milky Way's chance of colliding with galaxy billions of years from now: 50-50

It turns out that looming collision between our Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies might not happen after all.

- BY MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer

Astronomers reported Monday that the probability of the two spiral galaxies colliding is less than previously thought, with a 50-50 chance within the next 10 billion years. That’s essentially a coin flip, but still better odds than previous estimates and farther out in time.

“As it stands, proclamations of the impending demise of our galaxy seem greatly exaggerated,” the Finnish-led team wrote in a study appearing in Nature Astronomy.

While good news for the Milky Way galaxy, the latest forecast may be moot for humanity.

“We likely won’t live to see the benefit," lead author Till Sawala of the University of Helsinki said in an email.