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).

Near-Earth asteroid Bennu has a slim chance of colliding with Earth in 2182. If it does, the impact could trigger a global winter that affects our planet for years.

"An asteroid this size impacts Earth on average every few thousand years and could cause severe damage to a local region," the European Space Agency said.

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 hunk of space rock measures somewhere between 130 and 300 feet long, but its speed is unknown. “It’s a matter of ‘does it hit early or late?’” Beatty said. Based on what astronomers do know, they estimate there is a 1.3% chance that it will hit Earth on Dec. 22, 2032.

Pop culture is rife with depictions of asteroids on a collision course with Earth. The idea of a celestial body heading right for us — and bringing catastrophe with it — has been used to tell stories that can be action-packed,

A dive into probabilities, asteroid impact modeling, and what sort of damage an approximately 180-foot asteroid could cause on Earth.

A colossal explosion in the sky, unleashing energy hundreds of times greater than the Hiroshima bomb. A blinding flash nearly as bright as the sun. Shockwaves powerful enough to flatten everything for miles.

It's actually good news that NASA spotted a sizable asteroid with a (small) chance of hitting Earth in 2032. It means our asteroid-sleuthing telescopes are working.