(GIST OF SCIENCE REPORTER) Asteroid 2024

(JUNE-2025)

Asteroid 2024

Context:

When asteroid 2024 YR4 was first detected, astronomers feared it might collide with Earth. However, after detailed tracking and analysis, scientists have now ruled out any threat to Earth.

Asteroid 2024 YR4

Asteroid 2024 YR4 is a near-Earth asteroid. When asteroid 2024 YR4 was discovered, it was estimated to have a very small chance of impacting Earth on Dec. 22, 2032.
After more observations, NASA concluded it poses no significant impact risk to Earth in 2032 and beyond.
Discovery: 2024 YR4 was first reported to the Minor Planet Centre (the international clearing house for small body positional measurements) by the NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in Chile on Dec. 27, 2024. ATLAS comprises several telescopes around the world and is managed by the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy.
Size: Based on infrared observations from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope made in March 2025, asteroid 2024 YR4 is now estimated to be 174-220 feet (53-67 meters).

Determining the Impact Probability of Asteroids

NASA’s Near-Earth Object Observations program funds observatories to search for undiscovered asteroids and track existing potentially hazardous asteroids.
Using the observation data, NASA teams calculate and refine near-Earth object orbits using computer models.
Once the orbit of an asteroid is computed, these same computer models at NASA’s Centre for Near-Earth Object Studies can project how close the asteroid might approach Earth over the coming years and decades.

Frequent Changes in the Impact Probability

Determining the impact probability is the scientific process.
As NASA and others involved in the International Asteroid Warning Network gather more observations of asteroid 2024 YR4, the asteroid’s future trajectory can be better understood.

Possibility of deflecting the Asteroid 2024 YR4

A kinetic impactor spacecraft like NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission is one asteroid deflection technique that could be used to address a potentially hazardous asteroid in the future.
Each asteroid is unique, and deflection would depend on the asteroid’s size, physical properties, orbit, and discovery warning time.
2024 YR4 poses no significant impact risk to the planet, and thus it is premature to speculate on potential deflection techniques for this asteroid.
Impact on the Moon: Asteroid 2024 YR4 has a very small chance of impacting the Moon on Dec. 22, 2032. If the asteroid were to impact the Moon, it would not alter its orbit.