Scientists have identified the date asteroid Bennu may strike Earth with the force of 22 atomic bombs. NASA is racing to ensure it never arrives.
Asteroid Bennu’s projected impact falls on September 24, 2182. That is 156 years, 5 months, and 10 days from today.
No one alive today will see the date, but researchers want the world to know it. On September 24, 2182, a roughly 500-metre-wide asteroid will have its closest and most dangerous brush with Earth. It carries the force of 22 atomic bombs. Scientists have named it Bennu. Their calculations are uncomfortably precise.
Bennu is not new to us. It swings past Earth every six years on a set path. Most passes are uneventful. In 2182, the geometry increases the likelihood of a collision. Scientists find the risk serious enough to warrant a planetary defence mission already underway.
If Bennu hits, it would unleash energy like 22 atomic bombs. We know the date. The question is simple: can we change it?
Seven years ago, NASA sent the OSIRIS-REx probe to Bennu. Its goal: collect surface samples and return them to Earth. Learning the asteroid’s composition, mass, and surface will help scientists better predict its path. If needed, they can plan a mission to push it away.
The probe is in its final phase. The samples will give researchers their best look yet at Bennu. If deflection is needed, this information is critical.
Deflection is not science fiction. NASA’s DART mission in 2022 changed a smaller asteroid’s orbit by crashing a spacecraft into it. The same could work for Bennu, though sooner is better. Early action means a lighter push. That is why 2182 feels both far off and urgent.
