Bennu is also expected to pass closer to Earth than the moon in 2135 and if it does, our planet's gravitational pull could put it on the path to striking Earth on September 24, 2182.

In 2018, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission reached asteroid 101955 Bennu. Two years later, the spacecraft snagged a sample of its surface, which has since been returned to Earth.

Bennu was discovered in 1999 and is believed to be part of a larger asteroid that collided with another space rock. It’s about one-third of a mile wide and is roughly the height of the Empire ...

A sample from asteroid Bennu contains organic compounds usually found at midocean ridges on Earth, suggesting Bennu may have been part of an ancient ocean world.

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission returned samples from asteroid Bennu, which showed discoveries about life and the early solar system. These findings can now provide information into the potential ...

In October 2020, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft touched down on Bennu and collected a sample of surface material, stowing it in a capsule that the spacecraft returned to the Utah desert Sept. 24 ...

The spacecraft reached Bennu in 2018 after traveling 320 million kilometers from Earth. It spent two years mapping its surface, then collected a 120g sample before landing back on Earth in 2023.

Bennu’s parent body formed 4.5 billion years ago and once contained pockets of liquid water. As the water evaporated, brines similar to Earth’s salt flats remained. Use of electron microscope ...

Asteroid Bennu is a primordial goldmine of secrets. A relic from our early solar system, it may hold molecular precursors to the origin of life. Bennu's orbit takes it close to the Earth every six ...

Now, don’t get me wrong. Bennu isn’t an asteroid that will bring about worldwide devastation. If the asteroid were to collide with Earth, it would damage the planet outward up to 600 miles ...

Bennu, a rocky object classified as a near-Earth asteroid, has a one-in-2,700 chance of colliding with the Earth in September 2182, new research has discovered.

On Bennu, the sun rises every 4.3 Earth days and creates daytime temperatures that can be as high as around 260 degrees Fahrenheit (about 127 Celsius). At night, however, ...