According to ScienceDaily.Com a massive gas cloud is speeding towards a collision with our galaxy. During that collision we can expect magnificent stellar fireworks, but are we going to see it? The collision of the gas cloud and Milky Way will happen in 40 million years, so it is possible that human race is not going to see it.

“The leading edge of this gas cloud is already interacting with the gas of Milky Way“, says Felix J. Lockman, leader of the astronomers studying the gas cloud.

The cloud was discovered in 1963 by astronomer Smith at Leiden University in the Netherlands, and because of this the gas cloud is named after mr. Smith. The cloud contains enough hydrogen to make a million stars like the Sun. The gas cloud is eleven thousand light-years long and 2,500 light-years wide, it is only 8,000 light-years from our Galaxy’s disk. The giant gas cloud is moving with awesome speed, about 150 miles per second and it will hit Milky way in 45 degrees angle.

Smith’s cloud cannot be seen by the naked eye, but with a telescope it can be seen in the constellation Aquila at galactic coordinates right ascension (l)=40 and declination (b)=1. Even though Smith’s cloud was discovered in 1963, only lately we have been able to see pictures of it. The size of this gas cloud is awesome, as mentioned already above. Anyhow, if the gas cloud could be seen by the naked eye, it would cover Orion from tip to nose.

Please, read more about this news in BBC.Com