In 2032, the likelihood of an asteroid striking Earth will double.
According to NASA’s latest findings, the asteroid, known as 2024 YR4, has a 2.3% chance of striking Earth on December 22, 2032.
The recently found asteroid is predicted to pass near Earth in 2032, and its chances of doing so have doubled.
According to NASA’s latest measurements of the asteroid, known as 2024 YR4, there is a 2.3% possibility that it could strike Earth on December 22, 2032.
The risk was previously estimated by the space agency to be around 1%.
Despite the low risk, scientists are nonetheless keeping a careful eye on the asteroid’s path.
Until April 2024 YR4 will be visible. Meanwhile, the International Asteroid Warning Network’s ground-based telescopes will keep an eye on the asteroid. The asteroid won’t be visible after April and won’t be visible again until June 2028.
To help with crash predictions, the James Webb Space Telescope is expected to measure the asteroid’s precise size in March 2025. The space rock’s diameter is currently believed to be between 40 and 90 meters.
According to the Torino Scale, the asteroid’s danger level was 3 degrees.
An asteroid with a grade of 3 (Yellow Level) is likely to strike Earth, although the impact will be localized rather than catastrophic. Additionally, more accurate computations may be able to reset the impact probability of asteroids in this group to zero.
SciTechDaily claims that the scale functions as follows:
0–1 degrees: This indicates that there is very little chance of an asteroid collision.
2-4 degrees: An occurrence that requires observation but is not yet concerning.
5+ degrees: Suggests a more significant risk that calls for global preparation.
What harm might asteroid YT4 in 2024 cause?
The asteroid is the same size as Tunguska, which struck Earth in 1908, if the data scientists have gathered about 2024 YT4 is accurate. As a result, residents could experience the impact. The collision site could sustain significant harm from the asteroid, though.
The biggest asteroid impact event in recorded human history is Tunguska. We are aware, nevertheless, that there were several, more significant repercussions throughout the ancient era. The most famous of them is Chicxulub, which occurred roughly 66 million years ago and wiped out two-thirds of life on Earth, bringing an end to the dinosaur era.
The impact of Tunguska was not that violent. The asteroid discharged as much energy as 50 million tonnes of TNT exploding in the atmosphere over a sparsely populated area of Russia.
Three individuals were killed in the hit, which destroyed an estimated 80 million trees over 2,150 square kilometers, according to Space.com.
According to David Rankin, an asteroid seeker and engineer at Catalina Sky Survey, “If 2024 YT4 is composed of rocky material, it could explode in midair and reach the ground as a fireball.”
“It will easily penetrate the atmosphere and create an impact crater if it is composed of iron. Therefore, it is essential to comprehend not just the orbit but also its size and makeup.
Before 2032, Rankin and astronomers worldwide will keep collecting as much data as they can on asteroid 2024 YT4
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