ISLAMABAD (PEN) : The European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA have discovered an asteroid, 2024 YR4, that has a 1.2% chance of hitting Earth on December 22, 2032. While this may sound concerning, the asteroid also has nearly a 99% chance of safely passing by Earth without any impact, according to reports from CNN.
Scientists are closely monitoring the asteroid and will rely on future observations to refine their predictions about its potential for impact. The asteroid is estimated to be between 131 and 328 feet (40 to 100 meters) wide—about the size of a large building. Asteroids of this size occasionally strike Earth, but such events are rare, occurring once every few thousand years. When they do, they can cause significant damage to local areas.
Dr. Paul Chodas, director of NASA’s Centre for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), explained that while the asteroid’s size is still uncertain, it could have a substantial impact if it were on the larger end of the spectrum. “If the asteroid turns out to be on the large end of its estimated size range, the impact could produce blast damage as far as 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the site,” he said.
However, Chodas emphasized that this is only a possibility in the highly unlikely event that the asteroid does impact Earth. The real concern is the asteroid’s incredible speed—traveling at around 17 kilometers per second (38,028 miles per hour)—which would cause devastating damage upon entering the atmosphere.
Despite the worry, the odds of a collision remain very low, and experts continue to track the asteroid to better understand its path and potential risks.
