By-Srushti sharma
Asteroid Bennu, which may be headed towards Earth and is being closely monitored by NASA scientists, is in possible danger of colliding with our planet
It might release a staggering 1,200 megatons of energy if it collides with Earth; this is a startling 24 times more energy than the most potent nuclear weapon ever made!
Don't worry though, the 1,600-foot-wide enormous space rock still has a ways to go before it reaches the little window necessary to actually enter Earth's orbit.
Most likely, this will happen on September 24, 2182, towards the end of the 22nd century.
Additionally, it's only feasible if Bennu crosses paths with the "gravitational keyhole" during its flyby, a critical area in space that has the power to reroute the asteroid towards Earth.
Bennu is not new to our neighbourhood in the cosmos, it should be noted.
In reality, it comes quite close to Earth every six years, and since it was first discovered in 1999, none of these encounters have resulted in damage to our planet.
While 1950 DA and Asteroid Bennu are considered the two most "hazardous asteroids," there is now little urgent fear about Asteroid Bennu's potential impact.
Bennu is a possible menace, yet it also contains the key to many cosmological mysteries. It is an asteroid that is rich in carbon and is thought to have formed more than 4.5 billion years ago.
Ironically, exactly 159 years before its expected impact date, NASA's OSIRIS-REx recently dropped out immaculate samples from Bennu on Earth.