NASA Reveals Images Of Enormous Asteroid That Could Destroy Earth

Deep in outer space, a diamond-shaped asteroid is hurtling towards Earth. If the two bodies collide, the space rock – known as Bennu – is big enough to extinguish life on our planet. But the asteroid is not alone. No, a NASA probe has been chasing the massive space rock for years. And having caught up with the colossal asteroid, the craft is preparing to land on its rocky surface. It’s a high-risk maneuver that demands absolute precision, but it’s one that could help secure the safety of humankind.

Asteroid Hits Earth

Approximately 66 million years ago, a large asteroid slammed into the Earth near Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. That in turn triggered a cataclysm – an extinction event that led to the loss of three quarters of the planet’s biodiversity, including the dinosaurs. But the impact transformed the environment into one that allowed Homo sapiens to evolve and flourish. A similar asteroid collision today, however, would mean the end of human civilization as we know it.

Known Risk

For decades, scientists have known that Earth faces the risk of a major asteroid collision. It’s more than a risk, in fact, as the chances of such a strike happening are 100 percent certain; it’s merely a question of when. And several Hollywood movies have, of course, already imagined the asteroid apocalypse – the 1998 box-office smash Armageddon, for instance. But while Armageddon is a light sci-fi adventure starring Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck, the threat of Bennu is real.

Where Is It From?

So where has this potentially devastating space rock come from? Well, it’s thought that asteroids were forged in the same high energy crucible that gave birth to our solar system. These rocky bodies range in size from small pebbles to enormous hunks of stone measuring hundreds of miles across. Their creation – along with that of the Sun, planets and moons – came about approximately 4.6 billion years ago when an enormous molecular cloud containing dust and gas collapsed in on itself.

Asteroid Bits

Now, small pieces of asteroids and other space rocks sometimes fall to Earth. And although most such bodies burn up in the atmosphere as “shooting stars,” occasionally – around ten times a year – a small piece of rock makes it to the surface. Known as meteorites, these rocky fragments often leave a small impact crater. But unless you have the cosmic misfortune of being hit by one of these falling space rocks, they pose no serious threat to human life.