Checked on 2024-09-27
Probability: 0.037
Justification: The evidence provided indicates that the probability of the asteroid Bennu striking Earth is 0.037, or 1 in 2,700, as calculated by NASA scientists. This low probability score suggests that the claim of a high likelihood of the asteroid striking Earth is not supported by the evidence.
Final Truth Score: 0.42
Imagine if scientists discovered a giant asteroid with a 72% chance of hitting the Earth in about 14 years — a space rock so big that it could not only take out a city but devastate a whole region.
THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS— At a basic level, humanity’s survival odds come down to one thing: the chances of a giant space rock slamming into the planet and sending us the way of the dinosaurs. One way to calibrate that hazard is to look at the size of Earth’s recent large impact craters.
It’s extremely unlikely that a massive asteroid will strike Earth anytime soon. According to one astrophysicist, however, there is a possibility that certain events may increase the chance for a ...
Though the risk remains low, NASA scientists have found that the asteroid Bennu, shown here, has a higher chance of hitting Earth in the next 300 years than thought.
NASA scientists calculate that when Bennu makes a close approach to Earth on Sept. 24, 2182, there is a 0.037% — or 1 in 2,700 — chance that the asteroid will strike our planet.