NASA is Working On A Plan to Dodge A Giant Asteroid Predicted To Hit Earth In The Next 150 Years
There is an asteroid that has passed by the Earth every six years since 1999, or at least that’s when it was discovered.
Scientists are projecting that this asteroid could collide with our planet in the next 159 years.
The Bennu Asteroid could cause some pretty brutal effects if it were to collide with Earth, and NASA scientists are trying to come up with ways to avoid such a catastrophic situation.
Has anyone else seen Armageddon? Let’s just send Ben Affleck up to take care of it!
How Big Is The Bennu Asteroid?
According to The Times of India, Bennu measures 1,610 feet wide.
To put its size into perspective, our moon has a diameter of 2,159 miles.
So basically, the Bennu Asteroid is the size of a little moon.
It definitely isn’t the biggest asteroid out there, but it’s big enough to do some hefty damage to Earth.
When Is The Bennu Asteroid Projected To Collide With Earth?
According to NASA charts, graphs, and whatever else they use to predict space phenomena, scientists have actually gotten the collision down to one day — which I find crazy amazing!
The Bennu Asteroid is slated to slam into the Earth on September 24, 2182.
What Will Happen If The Bennu Asteroid Collides With Earth?
Well, the good news is that we won’t see the same devastation that killed off the dinosaurs.
According to Pubity “it will cause devastation 600 miles from the crash site, but it’s not large enough to cause worldwide extinction.”
Bennu may strike the Earth with so much force that continents could divide.
BBC Science Focus
How Likely Is It That The Bennu Asteroid Will Strike Earth?
Scientists are saying there is a 1 in 2,700 chance that Bennu will hit Earth.
You might be thinking, “That risk is pretty low. Let’s move on.”
But, we may not want to dismiss the devastation that could be caused by the Bennu Asteroid just yet.
Here’s why:
[Bennu hitting the Earth] is almost twice as likely as someone finding a four-leaf clover (1 in 5,000), or over five times as likely as someone being struck by lightning (1 in 15,300).
BBC Science Focus
Do you play the lottery? The chances of Bennu hitting the Earth are FAR better than your odds of winning the lottery.
Think of that next time you fill out your Powerball ticket.
