Space & Astronomy

NASA fears large asteroid could hit the Earth

By T.K. Randall
August 1, 2016 ·  24 comments

Bennu could one day collide with the Earth. Image Credit: NASA Goddard Conceptual Image Lab The asteroid, which is known as 'Bennu', crosses Earth's orbit once every six years and has been getting progressively closer to us each time it passes by.

Discovered in 1999, this huge object will get so close to us by 2135 that it will pass between the Earth and the moon. When this happens, the Earth's gravity may alter Bennu's orbit and place it on a collision course with our planet later on that century.

If the asteroid does end up hitting us, the impact will be equivalent to setting off three billion tons of high explosives - enough to cause significant and widespread destruction across the globe.Fortunately NASA has a plan up its sleeve - a probe known as Osiris-Rex which will launch in September. It will spend a year orbiting the sun before using the Earth's gravity to position itself around Bennu where it will conduct an in-depth analysis of its surface and composition.

The probe will also be investigating what is known as the Yarkovsky effect - the phenomenon thought to be responsible for sending asteroids on a collision course with the Earth.

"We need to know everything about Bennu - its size, mass and composition," said planetary scientist Professor Dante Lauretta. "This could be vital data for future generations."

Source: News.com.au | Comments (24)

Tags: Asteroid, NASA