An asteroid could hit Earth, but scientists are continuing to gather data to understand its trajectory and potential impact to Earth.

Although the chances of impact are slim, Bennu is still one of the most potentially hazardous known asteroids in our solar system, and we need to be prepared for what could come. A first-of-its-kind study simulated the planet-wide damage that would be caused by Bennu’s unlikely impact,

The rocky object called Bennu is classified as a near-Earth asteroid, currently making its closest approach to Earth every six years at about 186,000 miles (299,000 km) away. It might come even closer in the future,

Nuclear missiles, the DART mission and space lasers have been floated as potential solutions to the YR4 asteroid.

Look at it this way — there's almost a 99 per cent chance an asteroid up to the size of a football field won't hit the Earth in eight years. Still, there's up to a two per cent chance it will, according to NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).

A recently released animation shows a new look at a large asteroid that has a small, but significant chance of impacting planet Earth in 7 years. The animation, provided by the NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS),

The chance of a major asteroid striking Earth in 2032 heightened to 2.3 percent, but scientists say the likelihood of impact remains very low. Newsweek reached out to NASA for comment via email. NASA is tracking the asteroid,