English 
Spanish 
3 min read
0 comments
NASA announces that the asteroid Bennu is on a collision course with Earth. With a force equivalent to 22 atomic bombs, Bennu poses a significant threat. Find out when it is expected to reach our planet.
Researchers have determined the exact date on which the asteroid Bennu, one of the celestial objects most monitored by NASA, could collide with Earth. With a devastating power equivalent to 22 atomic bombs, Bennu, the asteroid that will collide with Earth, approaches our planet every six years, causing growing concern in the scientific community. According to the most recent calculations, the date of greatest risk for this Catastrophic collision is September 24, 2182. As the world watches closely, scientists continue to study possible trajectories and measures that can be taken to avert this imminent threat. Learn about efforts to deflect Bennu and what this collision would mean for Earth's future.
NASA plans to deflect an asteroid that will collide with Earth
Although the potential date for the arrival of the asteroid that will collide with Earth is far away, NASA is currently involved in intense efforts to divert Asteroid Bennu from its path and is entering the final phase of this mission.
Seven years ago, the American space agency launched a probe towards the asteroid, which has the strength of 22 atomic bombs, with the aim of collecting samples, with the hope that the information collected could help prevent a possible catastrophic encounter.
- What will happen in the next 1.000.000.000 years — What is the future of the human race and our beloved planet Earth?
- iPhone 17 may have a big change and the culprit is Donald Trump
- The oceans are changing color! Humans are the main culprits
- War in the skies: SpaceX and thousands of Starlink satellites could harm the atmosphere; scientists push for research as Elon Musk dominates the game with Trump administration support
TOOLS – FREE MARKET
However, asteroids have hit Earth several times over the years. An initial analysis of a sample collected from the asteroid Bennu suggests that the space rock had an unexpectedly water-rich past and may even have broken off from an ancient ocean world.
The mission OSIRIS-Rex NASA collected the pristine 121,6-gram sample from the near-Earth asteroid in 2020 and returned it to Earth last September. Since then, scientists have analyzed the asteroid's rocks and dust to see what secrets they might hold about the asteroid's composition and whether it could have provided the elements for life on Earth.
Asteroid that will collide with Earth may have come from another planet
An initial review of part of the sample, shared in October, suggested the asteroid contained a large amount of carbon. During a new analysis of the sample, the team discovered that the dust from the asteroid, which has the power of 22 atomic bombs, is rich in carbon, nitrogen and organic compounds, all of which helped form the Solar System. These ingredients are also essential to life as we understand it and can help scientists better understand how Earth-like planets evolve.
Second Jason Dworkin, study co-author and OSIRIS-REx project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Grimbold, Maryland, in a statement, the probe returned exactly what it expected, a large pristine asteroid sample rich in nitrogen and carbon from a formerly wet world. .
What was found on the asteroid that will collide with Earth?
The biggest surprise was finding magnesium-sodium phosphate within the sample, which remote sensing initially did not detect when OSIRIS-REx, or the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Regolith Explorer mission, was orbiting the asteroid at high power. of 22 atomic bombs. Magnesium-sodium phosphate is a compound that can be dissolved in water and serves as a component of the biochemistry of life.
It is possible that the asteroid that will collide with Earth may have broken off from a small, primitive oceanic world that no longer exists on our planet. solar system, the researchers said.
The asteroid sample consists mainly of clay minerals, including serpentine, which makes the sample remarkably similar to rocks found at mid-ocean ridges on Earth. These ridges are where material from the mantle, the layer beneath Earth's surface crust, encounters water.
Be the first to react!