Life on Earth can be traced back to the Milky Way crashing into a nearby dwarf galaxy more than five billion years ago, according to new research.
The birth of the Sun - and our own planet - is due to a close encounter with a neighbouring city of stars called Sagittarius, say scientists.
Ripples caused by the cosmic collision set off a chain of events that led to the Solar System, say scientists. Its formation has puzzled astronomers for centuries.
The finding is based on observations by the European Space Agency's Gaia satellite launched in December 2013 to create a 3D map of the Milky Way.
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