Collision of Andromeda and the Milky Way

Almost all galaxies are moving away from us because of the Hubble expansion of the Universe. However, some nearby galaxies can actually move toward us because of local motion over and above that associated with the expansion of the Universe (this motion is called peculiar motion). One such example of peculiar motion is that the Andromeda Galaxy (adjacent image) is moving toward us and it appears that Andromeda and the Milky Way will collide in about 3 billion years. Here is a simulation of the collision (Source).