Milky Way and Andromeda in long term merger plan

According to the Grauniad the Milky Way and Andromeda are heading towards each other at a million miles an hour and will meet – although there is no cause for concern as the meeting won’t take place for about 4bn years

When it happens it’s unlikely that any planets or stars from Andromeda will hit those in the Milky Way. The space between them is equivalent to a football field between grains of sand. However, clouds of dust and gas will smash into one another, creating enormous shock waves that force particles together so violently they form new stars. The collision will create a new galaxy, which some astronomers have nicknamed Milkomeda.