Bennu The Asteroid Poses More Danger To Earth Than Previously Thought: NASA

Bennu the asteroid poses more danger to planet Earth than previously estimated.

According to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the chances of Bennu hitting Earth have risen from one in 2,700 to one in 1,750. Yikes!

Bennus is considered one of the most dangerous asteroids in our solar system, and it could hit Earth within the next 200 years.

How did scientists ascertain Bennu's danger?

With help from NASA's Osiris-Rex spacecraft, scientists were able to develop a better understanding of Bennu's exact location and the trajectory it is expected to follow over the coming centuries.

Based on meticulous calculations, researchers have pinned 24 September 2182 as the most probable date for asteroid to smash into Earth - which would obliterate life on Earth as we know it, after which it might start anew... or not!

Also read: Earth's Rotation Slowed Down For Oxygen To Increase And Life To Evolve, Says Study

Even then, Davide Farnocchia from NASA's Centre for Near Earth Object Studies believes that the chances of a collision in the next century are extremely low.

"We shouldn't be worried about it too much", Sky News quoted Farnocchia as saying. Regardless, scientists are growing more wary of objects in space that may be hurling towards Earth in the future.

Increasingly, researchers are asking for more investment in ways to study potential collisions with Earth and ways to mitigate large-scale disasters.

Also read: Asteroid Bennu Samples Are Leaking From A Jammed NASA Spacecraft

A collision can completely alter the route of life on a planet and also has the potential to alter the planet's basic ingredients. That's how we got water on Earth in the first place!

NASA

How dangerous is Bennu, really?

Since 2018, Osiris-Rex has been investigating Bennu. Now, the spacecraft is returning home to Earth after lifting various samples of rock and dust.

But the spacecraft has a long journey ahead and will deliver samples to Earth by 2023. Osiris-Rex captured Bennu's closest-ever photograph in 2019, which helped scientists understand the true gravity of the situation.

Also read: Wobble In Moon¡¯s Orbit Will Cause More Floods On Earth In 2030s, Says NASA

Every six years, Bennu comes closer to Earth and is earmarked as one of the two most dangerous asteroids in our solar system.

Bennu is expected to fly past Earth in 2135 and so far scientists believe that it may pose no harm at all during that time.

NASA

But as more information about the object is inherited, the estimate may keep changing.

Also read: NASA's Robotic Spacecraft OSIRIS-REx Touches Down On Asteroid Bennu's Surface

How do objects in space pose a danger to Earth?

Scientists use its current pace and pathway to understand how it will interact with Earth's gravity and whether its path will change around the Sun, which could limit or increase the scope of a potential collision.

Also read: Scientists Say There¡¯s Only One Earth-Like Planet In Our Galaxy

The findings by NASA were published in Icarus, a journal. Such knowledge about potentially dangerous events can help scientists devise ways to avoid a future collision with Earth.