NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has reported that the chance of a large asteroid hitting Earth on December 22, 2032, is 1.6%.
Scientists from NASA and the European Space Agency are among those closely monitoring an asteroid between 130 and 300 feet in diameter whose trajectory suggests a small chance of hitting Earth in late 2032, the ESA said Monday.
“An asteroid of this size impacts Earth on average once every few thousand years and could cause significant damage to the local region,” ESA said in a press release on January 29.
“As a result, this object has been placed at the top of ESA's asteroid risk list,” ESA officials said. “Since early January, astronomers have been conducting priority observations with telescopes around the world and using the new data to improve our understanding of the asteroid's size and trajectory.”
Scientists have named the asteroid “2024 YR4,” which was first spotted by observers in Rio Hurtado, Chile, in December using advanced telescopes.
Researchers who first spotted the asteroid in January estimated the chance of it hitting Earth at 1.2%, but this month raised the risk to 2.3%, Sky News reports.
NASA scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope estimate the asteroid's chance of hitting Earth is slightly lower, CBS News reports, but the likelihood of a collision makes it the most serious threat to our planet.
Astronomers aim to reduce the uncertainty about the collision probability based on their current understanding of the asteroid's orbit.
The asteroid was first spotted on December 27, prompting warnings of a possible impact. It will fade from view over the next few months before becoming visible again in 2028.
The asteroid is moving in an elongated orbit around the Sun and is currently moving away from Earth in an almost straight line.
Scientists hope to rule out any chance of the asteroid hitting Earth in 2032 before it disappears from view.
In September 2022, NASA successfully launched a vending machine-sized spacecraft into the asteroid Dimorphos, while testing methods to change its course if an Earth-threatening asteroid like 2024 YR4 is detected.
Sourse: www.upi.com
