Scientists Announce Major Update About Earth-Threatening Asteroid

Well, that was a close one. Just a week after a potentially city-destroying asteroid was upgraded to a heart-palpitating 3 percent chance of colliding with the Earth, astronomers say that there is no longer a viable threat.

Scientists were in a crunch to learn as much as possible about asteroid 2024 YR4, which was first discovered in December 2024, before it disappeared behind the sun for three years in April. The asteroid, estimated to be between 130 feet to 300 feet across, orbits near the earth every four years, but there had been a 1 in 32 chance of it making impact with the Earth in 2032.

Now, European Space Agency puts those odds at a meager 0.001 percent while NASA estimates it to be a slightly higher 0.004 percent, after experts were able to calculate more precise models of the asteroid’s trajectory.

There is still a threat of the asteroid coming in contact with the moon on Dec. 22, 2032, but those odds are likewise very low at a 1.7 percent chance.

In the meantime, astronomers will continue to track the rock before it disappears until 2028, and are planning to zoom in using the Webb Space Telescope to pinpoint its exact size next month.

"While this asteroid no longer poses a significant impact hazard to Earth, 2024 YR4 provided an invaluable opportunity for experts at NASA and its partner institutions to test planetary defense science and notification processes," the federal agency said in a blog post this week.