No, it is highly improbable that humans, or any life as we know it within the galaxies, will survive the immense challenges posed by the Andromeda-Milky Way galactic collision.
The Impending Galactic Encounter
Our Milky Way galaxy is on a direct collision course with its larger neighbor, the Andromeda galaxy. This monumental cosmic event is estimated to occur in approximately 3 1/2 billion years. Far from a rapid impact, this collision will be a protracted process, unfolding over millions of years.
Key Aspects of the Galactic Merger
Here's what to expect from this intergalactic event:
- Timeline: The collision is projected to begin in about 3.5 billion years.
- Duration: The merging process will last for millions of years as the galaxies pass through each other multiple times.
- Stellar Collisions: Due to the vast distances between stars, few, if any, individual stars will actually collide. Instead, the galaxies' immense gravitational forces will largely reshape and merge them into a new, larger elliptical galaxy.
- The Primary Threat: The most significant danger to life is the immense increase in radiation throughout the merging galaxies. This surge in high-energy radiation will stem from accelerated star formation, supernovae, and active galactic nuclei as gas and dust clouds are perturbed.
This pervasive and intense radiation environment is projected to be powerful enough to eradicate all life from both galaxies. While humanity has demonstrated remarkable adaptability and technological progress, the scale and duration of such a galactic-wide radiation event present an existential threat currently beyond our capabilities to withstand within the affected regions.
