The discovery of a space rock the size of an 18-story building on a collision course with Earth has raised concerns among scientists and space agencies.
The asteroid 2024 YR4, discovered on December 27, 2024, by the Last Alert System for Asteroid Impacts with Earth (ATLAS), is being closely monitored by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).
According to NASA’s statement, a probability of about 1% has been calculated for the asteroid to strike the planet in 2032. However, the agencies emphasize that new observations could result in a reassignment of this asteroid to a lower probability.
The rock is estimated to be between 40m and 100m wide, and the potential damage in the event of an impact would be significant. Still, the scientific community is working to monitor and assess all possibilities, ensuring the safety of our planet.
According to ESA’s monitoring, the probability of this object impacting Earth on December 22, 2032, is 1.2%, a result consistent with independent estimates made by NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) and the Italian NEODyS. The asteroid 2024 YR4 is classified at level 3 on the Torino Impact Risk Scale.
Photo: X @NASA | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team
