Gaia Telescope Reveals Precise , Date of the Milky Way's Last , Act of Galactic Cannibalism.br Space.com reports that the latest findings from the Gaia br space telescope suggest that our Milky Way Galaxy may br have cannibalized a smaller galaxy relatively recently. .br The last major collision between the Milky Way br and another galaxy appears to have occurred billions br of years closer to now than previously believed.br Scientists have long known that the br Milky Way was formed through a series br of violent collisions with other galaxies. .br These massive collisions distribute stars br from the consumed galaxy throughout the br halo that surrounds the Milky Way's main disk. .br Galactic cannibalism sends "wrinkles" br through the galaxy, impacting different br families of stars in a number of ways.br Gaia now looks to retell the story of the br Milky Way by quantifying those wrinkles.br We get wrinklier as we age, br but our work reveals that the br opposite is true for the Milky Way. br It’s a sort of cosmic Benjamin Button, br getting less wrinkly over time. , Thomas Donlon, Study team leader of the Rensselaer Polytechnic br Institute and University of Alabama scientist, via Space.com.br By looking at how these br wrinkles dissipate over time, br we can trace when the Milky Way br experienced its last big crash – br and it turns out this happened billions br of years later than we thought, Thomas Donlon, Study team leader of the Rensselaer Polytechnic br Institute and University of Alabama scientist, via Space.com.br Astronomers have only been aware of these br wrinkles since Gaia discovered them in 2018. .br The latest findings represent the first time they have br been extensively investigated to find the br precise timing of the collision that spawned them.