According to NASA, an asteroid the size of 22 atomic bombs may strike Earth…
Nasa is keeping a tight eye on the asteroid Bennu, which might collide with Earth in approximately 159 years. Bennu, which has a diameter of 1,610 feet, was discovered in 1999, and there is a theoretical chance that it may approach Earth’s orbit and pose a hazard by September 24, 2182. Bennu has the potential to discharge 1,200 megatons of energy if it collides, making it 24 times more powerful than the most powerful nuclear weapon. While the chances of an impact are modest, Bennu is one of the two most dangerous asteroids in our solar system.
Nasa scientists are keeping a tight eye on the asteroid Bennu, which might hit with Earth in around 159 years. Bennu has a diameter of about 1,610 feet. According to Nasa’s OSIRIS-REx science team, there is a theoretical potential that this asteroid, detected in 1999, will enter Earth’s orbit and pose a threat by September 24, 2182.
Bennu’s impact might release 1,200 megatons of energy, making it 24 times more powerful than the most powerful nuclear weapon ever constructed. According to Nasa, “During the flyby, there is an extremely small chance that Bennu will pass through a ‘gravitational keyhole’ – a region of space that would set it on just the right path to impact Earth late in the 22nd century.”
According to ABC News, Bennu comes close to Earth every six years and has had three close encounters with our planet in 1999, 2005, and 2011.
Scientists now believe that Bennu will impact Earth by 2182 at a 1 in 2,700, or 0.037%, chance.
According to Nasa, “While the chances of it hitting Earth are very low, Bennu remains one of the two most hazardous known asteroids in our solar system, along with another asteroid called 1950 DA.”
Bennu, a carbon-rich asteroid found in 1999 and classified as a “near-Earth object,” formed within the first 10 million years of the solar system’s existence, more than 4.5 billion years ago.
