NASA just dropped some major space news today, and let’s just say, it’s not the kind of rock we’d like to see under the Christmas tree in 2032.
To put things into perspective, this cosmic boulder measures between 40 to 90 meters, or roughly the size of a basketball court to a football field.
Big enough to ruin someone’s day if it were to crash into Earth on December 22, 2032.
The asteroid 2024 YR4, first spotted in December 2024, is now making headlines after scientists doubled its impact probability from a “meh” 1.2% to a nerve-wracking 2.3% (1 in 43 odds).
NASA’s live asteroid tracker is keeping a close eye on 2024 YR4, and things just got more intense. With the impact probability now at 2.3%, NASA isn’t taking any chances!
They’ve activated emergency protocols and even secured observation time with the powerful James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to get a clearer picture of this space rock. For those who love edge-of-your-seat cosmic thrillers, NASA’s live updates on the asteroid’s trajectory are available.
Right now, NASA and international experts are not only refining observations but also tracking the asteroid’s movements. Furthermore, they are exploring possible mitigation strategies—just in case a real-life planetary defense mission becomes necessary.
Stay tuned—this space drama is far from over.
Asteroid 2024 YR4 is a near-Earth object (NEO) discovered on December 27, 2024, by the ATLAS telescope in Chile. It has an estimated diameter between 40 and 90 meters (130 to 295 feet) and follows an elliptical orbit around the Sun, occasionally crossing Earth’s path.
The projected impact date, if the asteroid stays on its current path, is December 22, 2032. Yes, that’s uncomfortably close to Christmas.
While not an extinction-level event, an asteroid of this size could cause regional devastation, depending on where it lands. That’s why NASA and other space agencies are monitoring it closely.
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