The U.S. space agency NASA says new data from observations of the asteroid Bennu still suggests that the object could one day hit Earth. But, the scientists studying the asteroid predict in a new study there is very little chance that Bennu will strike Earth in the coming centuries. Bennu and other asteroids are considered near-Earth objects (NEOs). Scientists identify such objects as those having the possibility of coming within 50 million kilometers of Earth’s orbit. Bennu was discovered in 1999. It is believed to have formed in the first 10 million years of our solar system’s history more than 4.5 billion years ago. It moves into near-Earth space because of gravitational interactions with other planets. It also takes in heat from the sun that provides added push. Bennu makes its closest pass to Earth every six years. The latest data on Bennu was collected by NASA’s Osiris-Rex spacecraft, which spent more than two years observing the asteroid. Last October, Osiris-Rex also successfully collected samples from Bennu. The spacecraft is now on a trip back to Earth, with NASA expecting its arrival in September 2023.