This particular type of supernova is interesting because it could help explain why Andromeda appears to be moving closer to the Milky Way. A recent study suggests that the Milky Way and Andromeda are slowly drifting closer due to their mutual gravitational attraction.
This means that if Andromeda has been eating other galaxies, it might eventually devour the Milky Way. However, the authors of the study say that this scenario is unlikely. Instead, they think that Andromeda is simply approaching the Milky Way on a more gradual basis.
The researchers used computer simulations to model how the two galaxies move toward each other over time. Their results suggest that Andromeda will pass through the Milky Way about four billion years from now. At that point, the two galaxies will begin to merge. During the merger, both galaxies will produce lots of tidal tails of stars, gas, and dust. Eventually, all of this material will fall back onto the central region of the merged galaxy forming a single disk.
Scientists predict that the combined mass of the two galaxies will increase by about 1% during the next few billion years. This means that the total gravity acting upon our solar system will increase slightly. As a result, the orbits of planets like Mercury and Venus will become less stable. This could cause the inner planets to be flung out of orbit or even pulled into the Sun.
If this were to happen, It’s possible that Earth would be no more. Fortunately, astronomers aren't worried about this happening. They say that the chances of such a catastrophe occurring are extremely low. They estimate that the probability of this event occurring is no greater than 0.1%.