NASA has confirmed the discovery of asteroid 2024 YR4, which has a 1% chance of colliding with Earth in 2032. Despite the low probability, experts are closely monitoring its trajectory due to the potential damage it could cause, with the asteroid expected to release significant energy if it impacts Earth.

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• Asteroid 2024 YR4 was discovered in December 2024 by a Chilean telescope.
• The asteroid is between 40-100 meters wide, roughly the size of a football field.
• It passed closest to Earth on Christmas Day, coming within 800,000 kilometers (about twice the distance of the Moon).
• Experts are working with powerful telescopes to track the asteroid’s path before it becomes too faint to detect in April 2025.
• The asteroid poses a 1% chance of crashing into Earth in 2032, but experts are not overly concerned due to the 99% chance of it missing.
• If the asteroid hits Earth, it could cause localized damage, releasing 8-10 megatons of energy, similar to the Chelyabinsk impact in 2013.
• The Torino Scale currently rates 2024 YR4 as a 3, indicating a moderate risk.
• Smaller asteroids like 2024 YR4 hit Earth more frequently, but large, global-impacting asteroids are much rarer.
• Space agencies, including NASA, are developing planetary defense strategies, like the DART mission, to prevent such collisions.
• The DART mission successfully changed the trajectory of an asteroid in 2022, marking a milestone in planetary defense.