Milky Way and Andromeda Encounters
These galaxy images illustrate three possible encounter scenarios between our Milky Way and the neighboring Andromeda galaxy. In the top left panel, a wide-field Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) image showing galaxies M81 and M82 serves as an example of the Milky Way and Andromeda passing each other at large distances. The top right panel shows NGC 6786, a pair of interacting galaxies displaying the telltale signs of tidal disturbances after a close encounter. The bottom panel shows NGC 520, a cosmic train wreck as two galaxies are actively merging together.
- Release DateJune 2, 2025
- Science ReleaseApocalypse When? Hubble Casts Doubt on Certainty of Galactic Collision
- CreditScience: NASA, ESA, STScI, DSS, Till Sawala (University of Helsinki); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)
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Last Updated
Jun 02, 2025
Editor
Andrea Gianopoulos
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Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov