Universe  ID: 4921

Bennu 2135/2182 orbits

Visualizations by Kel Elkins Released on August 11, 2021
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Visualization depicting the 2135 Bennu-Earth flyby. Bennu’s orbit is represented in white. Earth’s orbit is represented in light blue.
On September 25, 2135, an asteroid called Bennu will make a close flyby of Earth. Our planet’s gravity will tweak Bennu’s path, making it a challenge to calculate its future trajectory. During the flyby, there is an extremely small chance that Bennu will pass through a “gravitational keyhole” – a region of space that would set it on just the right path to impact Earth, late in the 22nd century. Although it is difficult to determine the odds of this actually happening, new data from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft have allowed scientists to better model how Bennu’s orbit will evolve over time, and to better calculate the probability of an impact. Now, a new paper from the OSIRIS-REx science team gives Bennu a 1:2700 (0.037%) chance of impacting Earth on September 24, 2182.
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Visualization depicting the 2182 Bennu-Earth flyby. Bennu’s location in 2182 will vary depending on how the 2135 flyby occurs. Two representations of Bennu are depicted. The white dot represents an Earth-miss and the grey dot represents an extremely unlikely (1:2700 or 0.037% chance) Earth impact. Earth’s orbit is represented in light blue.
 

Used Elsewhere In

OSIRIS-REx Bennu Impact Probability – Media Telecon

Related

OSIRIS-REx Sheds Light on Hazardous Asteroid Bennu
Asteroid Bennu Impact Hazard: Animations
OSIRIS-REx – Detailed Global Views of Asteroid Bennu
OSIRIS-REx orbits, maneuvers, and mapping

Visualization Credits

Kel Elkins (USRA): Lead Visualizer
Laurence Schuler (ADNET Systems, Inc.): Technical Support
Ian Jones (ADNET Systems, Inc.): Technical Support
Davide Farnocchia (JPL): Scientist
James Tralie (ADNET Systems, Inc.): Producer
Dan Gallagher (KBR Wyle Services, LLC): Producer
Steven Chesley (JPL): Scientist
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio

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https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4921

Data Used:
SPICE Ephemerides also referred to as: SPICE Ephemerides
Ephemeris - NASA/JPL
Satellite and planetary ephemerides
view all stories where this data set is used
Note: While we identify the data sets used in these visualizations, we do not store any further details nor the data sets themselves on our site.

Keywords:
SVS >> Asteroid
SVS >> Hyperwall
SVS >> OSIRIS-REx
NASA Science >> Universe
SVS >> Bennu