Asteroid Bennu regularly approaches Earth at close range, about once every six years. This massive space object, about 49 meters in diameter, was discovered in 1999, and NASA astronomers keep a close eye on it. There is a danger that Bennu could enter Earth’s orbit and collide with it on September 24, 2182. If that happens, the impact would release 1,200 megatons of energy.
Although the likelihood of a collision with Earth is currently low, Bennu has been classified as a “potentially hazardous asteroid”: it could come within 7.48 million kilometers of us.
