What is Bennu?
Q: What is Bennu?
A: Bennu is a carbonaceous asteroid in the Apollo group.
Q: When was Bennu discovered?
A: Bennu was discovered by the LINEAR Project on September 11, 1999.
Q: What is the probability of Bennu hitting Earth?
A: Bennu has a 1 in 2,700 chance of hitting Earth between the years 2175 and 2199.
Q: What is Bennu named after?
A: Bennu is named after the Bennu, the ancient Egyptian mythological bird associated with the Sun, creation, and rebirth.
Q: What is the diameter of Bennu?
A: The average diameter of Bennu is 492 metres (1,614 feet).
Q: What is the OSIRIS-REx mission?
A: The OSIRIS-REx mission is intended to return samples of Bennu to Earth in 2023 for further study.
Q: How did Bennu end up in the range of Earth?
A: It is believed that Bennu broke off from another asteroid in the asteroid belt, but the gravitational pull of Saturn dislodged it into the range of Earth.
