NASA increases the possibility of an asteroid Bennu colliding with Earth

A NASA scientist said on Wednesday that the possibility of an asteroid Bennu hitting Earth within a century or two has increased.

However, David Farnocchia emphasized that Earthlings should not be too anxious.

Scientists have previously said that the odds of Bennu hitting Earth until 2200 were one in 2700, but those numbers were revised to one in 1750 by 2300, the Associated Press said.

Working with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, Farnocchia told reporters that the Osiris-Rex spacecraft, which landed on Bennu in 2018 to collect samples, gave them a better idea of ​​the asteroid’s future orbital path.

The spacecraft is scheduled to return to Earth in 2023.

We shouldn’t worry too much about that,” said Varnokia, lead author of the findings, which were published in the journal Icarus.

Scientists say that Bennu will approach the planet in the year 2135.

Scientists have said that Earth’s gravity could affect Bennu’s orbit and cause it to collide with the planet over the next two centuries. However, they said that based on data from the Osiris-Rex spacecraft, the chances of gravity interfering with its orbit are now lower.

Lindley Johnson, NASA’s planetary defense officer, predicted that if an asteroid collides with Earth, the area of ​​the destroyed area will be 100 times the size of the asteroid, according to the Associated Press.

If the asteroid collides with the east coast of the United States, I will“It will destroy pretty much everything along the coast,” Johnson added.