NASA has been closely monitoring asteroid 2024 YR4 and providing regular updates on its trajectory. Despite being relatively small, the asteroid could still cause significant damage if it were to impact Earth. The odds of the asteroid hitting Earth have decreased to 0.28%, down from 3.1% just days earlier. NASA’s planetary defense teams are continuing to track the asteroid to improve predictions of its path.
The asteroid is expected to be visible from Earth through April, allowing astronomers to gather more data. While it will not be observable again until June 2028, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope will be able to study it in March from orbit. If the asteroid were to collide with Earth, it could potentially cause significant devastation in a populous area, earning its classification as a “city killer.” Possible impact locations include empty oceans and sparsely populated areas, but some densely populated areas are also at risk. Although the asteroid is not large enough to cause a mass extinction event, it could still create an explosion in the atmosphere or impact crater, leading to widespread damage on the ground.
Overall, the new data from NASA is encouraging for Earth’s safety, but the asteroid still poses a potential threat and will continue to be monitored closely by astronomers.
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