Will this be the end of the Earth? Asteroid heading towards the planet has the power of 22 atomic bombs
An asteroid is heading towards Earth, and scientists have already discovered when the possible impact could happen. The celestial body has the power of 22 atomic bombs and was named Bennu. Every six years, this asteroid comes even closer to the planet, and scholars are convinced that it will hit Earth on September 24, 2182. NASA is already trying to figure out how to divert this potential threat.
About seven years ago, the North American space agency sent a probe in the direction of Bennu. The objective was to collect some samples and, with them, discover a way to avoid the catastrophic impact.
NASA wants to avoid meteor impact with Earth
Over the years, many asteroids have hit Earth, but few have managed to cause enormous destruction. Most of these celestial bodies are small and they are almost always destroyed as soon as they enter the Earth’s atmosphere. In historical records, a meteorite left a huge crater in Arizona, United States, when it hit the ground. This crater measures more than 1,200 meters in diameter and is 170 meters deep.
Scientists race against time
Bennu has been called the ‘asteroid of the apocalypse’ because it measures 545 meters in diameter. In 2020, a probe landed on this space rock, and the results obtained from this mission are being analyzed by scientists at the University of Arizona.
Scholars have already discovered that this rock is like a ‘pile of rubble’, that is, several rocks that stick together due to the force of gravity. For NASA, this meteor is the most dangerous of all and, precisely for this reason, scientists are continuously studying a way to avoid the possible impact.
