Hubble times Milky Way and Andromeda galaxy pile-up

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18285583
By means of modern observational technology aboard the Hubble Space Telescope astronomers have determined when and how the Milk Way Galaxy will collide with our neighbor Andromeda. According to their research this will occur in approximately 4 billion years, so this obviously is not a pressing concern, however the possible outcomes of this merging are incredibly intriguing. Based on recently attained knowledge regarding the sideways motion of Andromeda, scientists hypothesize that although star collisions are highly improbable, there will likely be a shift in the location of our solar system. In addition, several new stars may emerge as a result of gas cloud disturbances. Computer simulations also indicate that the appearance of the two galaxies will come to resemble a single elliptical galaxy. To see 4 billion years into the future is an unfathomable notion, yet modern technology has allowed us to do just this, and I am certainly curious as to what mysteries our universe holds that are yet to be unveiled.

It is really too bad that humans will likely not be around to see this merging of solar systems occur in the far future. Such a spectacular event is extremely intriguing. I wonder about what the conditions of the planets, specifically Earth, will be like after the collission and merging of the solar systems that is predicted occurs. The article says that individual stars will not collide in this event because the space between them will still be huge. With this in mind, Will the spaces between the planets be so huge that they too will have little effect on each other? I guess only the future will reveal the answers to this question, but I am sure scientists are working on even more predictions about the future of our universe right now.