A newly discovered asteroid caught the attention of scientists and astronomers. NASA said that it has a very small chance of hitting the Earth by the year 2032.
Where is the asteroid now?
Scientists in Chile first spotted the asteroid by telescope in December 2024. They’ve named it 2024 YR4.
The space rock is anywhere from 130 to 330 feet across, scientists estimated.
Researchers said the asteroid is currently headed away from Earth, but said it came within 500,000 miles of Earth on Christmas Day. That’s about twice the distance of the moon.
What are the chances of the asteroid hitting Earth?
NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies director, Paul Chodas, said there is a 99% chance that the asteroid will miss Earth.
However, he said the small 1 % chance that it might hit our planet deserves attention.
Chodas explained that as it makes a path around the sun, its risk of hitting Earth might drop.
Experts said the space rock will gradually fade from view over the next few months and even the most powerful of telescopes will not be able to pinpoint it.
Once out of sight, it will not become visible again until 2028.
In the meantime, scientists are looking over data and surveys of space dating back to 2016 to track its history.
The European Space Agency reported that the Earth gets hit by an asteroid of this size every few thousand years.
This particular asteroid is now atop the agency’s risk list.
What kind of damage could this asteroid cause?
NASA said that if the asteroid turns out to be on the large end of its estimated range, it could produce a blast of about 30 miles, including the impact site.
The damage could range from massive explosions to fires, or perhaps an earthquake or tsunamis, according to the University of California at Berkeley.
If the asteroid does make its way toward Earth, experts dated the impact at around Dec. 22, 2032. The exact location of where it could hit is unknown.
