The asteroid could come even closer in the future, and scientists estimate that it has a one-in-2,700 chance of hitting Earth in September 2182. So what would happen if Bennu did collide with our planet? Well, it wouldn't be pretty, according to new research that used computer simulations of an asteroid about 500 meters in diameter like Bennu.

A new analysis has found that dust grains on the asteroid Bennu contain key chemical elements needed for life. Samples of the space rock, brought back to Earth by a NASA spacecraft, contain a variety of minerals and thousands of organic compounds.

A small asteroid about one meter wide will hit Earth's atmosphere on September 4, 2024, and researchers from the European Space Agency expect the asteroid to hit the atmosphere over the Philippines at around 19:46 Doha time.