Make a note on your calendar, as scientists have predicted that an asteroid named Bennu will collide with Earth on a future September date.
Although it passes by Earth every six years, experts have determined that this specific encounter will have the impact of 22 atomic bombs.
Bennu is a moderately sized asteroid, about one-third of a mile wide, which is half the size of the asteroid that caused the extinction of dinosaurs. While a potential collision with Earth would cause severe devastation 600 miles from the crash site, Bennu is not large enough to cause worldwide extinction.
Fortunately, the likelihood of Bennu colliding with our planet is very slim. According to NASA, there is only an ‘extremely small chance’ of this happening on September 24, 2182, near the end of the 22nd century.
A recent paper by the OSIRIS-REx science team revealed that the probability of such an event occurring is 1 in 2700 (0.037%). NASA adds that the new data from the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has allowed scientists to better model Bennu’s orbit over time and calculate the probability of impact more accurately.
Additionally, Bennu will make a close flyby of Earth on September 25, 2135, and its location in 2182 will depend on the outcome of this flyby. While there is a one in 1750 chance Bennu will hit Earth by 2300, we do not need to worry about this for a long time yet.
