NASA warns that there is a chance that asteroid Bennu will collide with Earth in the relatively not-too-distant future. ChatGPT helped us overcome the panic and present the possibilities:
Bennu has been classified as a near-Earth object since its discovery in 1999. It is half a kilometer wide, and although it is much smaller than the asteroid that apparently wiped out the dinosaurs about 66 million years ago, and its size was estimated at 9.5 kilometers, its son still holds destructive potential, capable of changing the course of human history.
The cause for concern lies in what scientists call a gravitational lock. This is a certain point in the relationship between the asteroid's speed of motion and Earth's gravity, where our star's gravity will "trap" Bennu and put him on a deadly collision course with Earth, which could destroy an area the size of Texas (25 times the area controlled by Israel).
The timeline of this potential cosmic threat is frighteningly accurate: Bennu passes close to Earth once every six years or so. In 2135 – just another 112 years – it is expected to pass very close to Earth's "gravitational lock". If during this transit the conditions are created for the operation of the "gravitational lock", Bennu's orbit will begin to shorten more and more, until on September 24, 2182 – another 159 years and 4 days – it will hit Earth. The probability of this scenario, according to NASA scientists, is 0.037% (1 in 2,700) – on the one hand, not a high chance, but enough to cause concern.
The energy released from a possible Bennu impact could be the equivalent of 1,200 megatons of energy — 24 times more than the most destructive man-made nuclear weapon ever created. As mentioned, an area the size of Texas would be completely destroyed by such an impact. In addition, the damage will cause fires, tsunamis and more, so that the destruction will reach enormous proportions.
NASA warns that there is a chance that asteroid Bennu will collide with Earth in the relatively not-too-distant future. ChatGPT helped us overcome the panic and present the possibilities:
Bennu has been classified as a near-Earth object since its discovery in 1999. It is half a kilometer wide, and although it is much smaller than the asteroid that apparently wiped out the dinosaurs about 66 million years ago, and its size was estimated at 9.5 kilometers, its son still holds destructive potential, capable of changing the course of human history.
The cause for concern lies in what scientists call a gravitational lock. This is a certain point in the relationship between the asteroid's speed of motion and Earth's gravity, where our star's gravity will "trap" Bennu and put him on a deadly collision course with Earth, which could destroy an area the size of Texas (25 times the area controlled by Israel).
The timeline of this potential cosmic threat is frighteningly accurate: Bennu passes close to Earth once every six years or so. In 2135 – just another 112 years – it is expected to pass very close to Earth's "gravitational lock". If during this transit the conditions are created for the operation of the "gravitational lock", Bennu's orbit will begin to shorten more and more, until on September 24, 2182 – another 159 years and 4 days – it will hit Earth. The probability of this scenario, according to NASA scientists, is 0.037% (1 in 2,700) – on the one hand, not a high chance, but enough to cause concern.
The energy released from a possible Bennu impact could be the equivalent of 1,200 megatons of energy — 24 times more than the most destructive man-made nuclear weapon ever created. As mentioned, an area the size of Texas would be completely destroyed by such an impact. In addition, the damage will cause fires, tsunamis and more, so that the destruction will reach enormous proportions.
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