Don’t fret! We won’t be around when a big space rock called Bennu, which is about as wide as 16 football fields, might collide with Earth in 159 years.
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx scientist said that asteroid Bennu found back in 1999 might end up orbiting Earth and could potentially collide with our home planet around September 24, 2182.
This gigantic asteroid, taller than the Empire State Building, could unleash a mind-boggling 1,200 megatons of energy if it smashes into Earth. That’s a whopping 24 times more powerful than the most formidable nuclear weapon ever constructed.
NASA says Bennu comes close to Earth every six years and got really close in 1999, 2005, and 2011. Scientists think there’s a very small chance, about 1 in 2,700 that Bennu might hit Earth by the year 2182.
The US space agency mentioned that when Bennu passes by, there’s a tiny chance it might go through a ‘gravitational keyhole.’ This is like a space doorway that could potentially make it head towards Earth in the late 22nd century.
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Bennu isrich in carbon and is considered a ‘near-Earth object.’ It came into existence more than 4.5 billion years ago during the early days of our solar system, within the first 10 million years.
This asteroid is like a treasure chest for scientists because it can provide important information about how planets like Earth formed and changed over time. It might even have some of the same organic stuff needed for life to begin.
