Formation of the Local Group Begins

Around 7 billion years ago, gravitational relationships began establishing the Local Group of galaxies. The proto-Milky Way and proto-Andromeda galaxies, along with smaller galaxies, started gravitationally influencing one another, forming a bound system that evolved into the current galactic neighborhood. Astronomical evidence from stellar populations, galactic dynamics, and computer simulations confirms this assembly phase. The formation created conditions for the stable environment in which the Solar System later developed.