“159 years too late”: NASA predicts the exact date asteroid Bennu might hit Earth, spurs hilarious reactions online

NASA scientists predicted that an asteroid named Bennu is likely to hit Earth with a force of 22 atom bombs in September. The asteroid passes by Earth every six years but according to NASA's predictions, Bennu has a slight chance of hitting Earth on a day in September 159 years from now.

The scientists did say that the chances of the asteroid hitting Earth are very slight. However, they said that they were in the last phase of the mission to stop Bennu from hitting Earth 159 years from now. NASA stated that there is a 0.037% chance of the asteroid hitting Earth on September 24, 2182.

When netizens saw the date of when the asteroid would potentially collide with Earth, they had hilarious reactions to the same. While some made fun of the time of the possible collision, others said that the news came 159 years "too late."

Reaction of the internet user (Image via snip from Instagram/@benjared_)

Rich Burns, project manager for OSIRIS-REx at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, spoke to the Sunday Telegraph about the same. He told the publication that they were in the last phase of their mission to avert the collision of Bennu with Earth.

"We are now in the final leg of this seven-year journey, and it feels very much like the last few miles of a marathon, with a confluence of emotions like pride and joy coexisting with a determined focus to complete the race well," Burns added.

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Netizens share hilarious reactions about NASA's update about asteroid Bennu hitting Earth 159 years from now

When netizens first saw the space agency's prediction that an asteroid might hit Earth on September 4, they believed that it would happen in the next few days. However, when they read the complete date and found out that the collision might happen 159 years from now, they began posting their hilarious reactions on social media.

While some said that they were "hoping it was in 6 days," others noted that no one reading the posts would be alive to see the collision, if it does happen.

Social media user's reaction (Image via snip from Instagram/@pubity)

Internet users' reaction Image via snip from Instagram/@pubity)

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What is Bennu asteroid and what does NASA say about it?

The asteroid Bennu was first discovered by scientists in 1999, and they stated that it passes near the Earth every six years. It is believed that this asteroid is as big or even bigger than the Empire State Building.

NASA's OSIRIS-Rex spacecraft that went into the surface of asteroid Bennu collected some samples from it in 2020. The spacecraft had collected some rock samples from there.

The space agency also said that the chances of Bennu hitting Earth are quite unlikely. However, if it does happen, it may cause heavy damage of up to 600 miles from the site. The space agency also noted that there is a 1 in 1,750 chance that this asteroid will hit Earth.