Space agency Nasa earlier this week said that an asteroid named Bennu, which is as large as the Empire State Building in New York, could hit the Earth.
However, if one is reading this information, neither they or their grandchildren have any reason to worry as this event is unlikely to happen till the 2100s. The probability of the asteroid Bennu hitting earth between now and 2300 is one in 1,750, according to a report by the New York Times. Scientist Davide Farnocchiaa, who authored the study along with 17 other scientists, on the hazard assessment for near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu, told the New York Times that the probability of the impact is still low. “I’m not any more concerned about Bennu than I was before. The impact probability remains really small,” Farnocchiaa was quoted as saying by the news agency. The study titled Ephemeris and hazard assessment for near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu based on OSIRIS-REx data tracked the asteroid’s trajectory.
The report also highlighted that the trajectory of the asteroid is precisely known due to data tracked by the OSIRIS-REx mission. The spacecraft OSIRIS-REx studied Bennu for the last two years very closely, according to Nasa. It left Bennu in May this year and is heading back to Earth to drop off the rock and dirt samples it has collected from Bennu’s surface. The OSIRIX-REx chose Bennu because of the types of carbon molecules present in the asteroid, which could provide information regarding the ‘building blocks of life on Earth’.
News Source : India.com
