Milky Way's Last Major Collision Was Surprisingly Recent

New Gaia data reveals the Milky Way's last significant galactic merger occurred less than 3 billion years ago, challenging previous estimates.

The Gaia space telescope has pinpointed the timing of the Milky Way's last major collision.
This collision, known as the Virgo Radial Merger, happened around 2.7 billion years ago.
Earlier estimates dated the last significant merger to between 8 and 11 billion years ago.
The collision brought a large number of stars and possibly other small galaxies into the Milky Way.
These findings reshape our understanding of the Milky Way's growth and history.