Milky Way’s collision with Kraken galaxy probably biggest, oldest merger of our galaxy

A recent study focused on understanding the origin of our galaxy -- the Milky Way galaxy – has led to the discovery of five massive galactic mergers (collision between galaxies). These collisions date back over 10 billion years and include the Kraken merger, which was the Milky Way’s merger with a mysterious galaxy called ‘Kraken’ that was hitherto unknown to mankind.

Scientists have discovered that the Kraken galaxy had collided with Milky Way galaxy about 11 billion years ago. Diederik Kruijssen, the lead author of the study which was published in October in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society even said that the Kraken merger “must have been the most significant merger the Milky Way ever experienced”.

Scientists believe the Kraken merger to have been the largest and oldest galactic collision in the Milky Way’s history and it took place when our galaxy was barely a fraction of its present size.

A Space.com report quoted Kruijssen as saying: “The merger with Kraken took place 11 billion years ago when the Milky Way was four times less massive [than today]. As a result, the collision must have truly transformed what the Milky Way looked like at the time.”

Over the past 12 billion years, the Milky Way galaxy has reportedly collided with a neighbouring galaxy more than 10 times and has ended up swallowing the neighbour’s stars in the process. Each time there was a merger, the characteristics of our galaxy, including its shape, size, and motion were altered permanently, eventually leading to the spiral formation we now see.