Astronomers have confirmed that asteroid 2024 YR4 no longer poses a risk to Earth; However, there is a 4.3% chance that the moon will impact on December 22, 2032.
Although 2024 YR4 previously identified a threat to our planet, scientists are now focusing on the moon’s trajectory, warning that an impact could be “the most energetic lunar impact ever recorded in human history.”
According to a new study ‘Observational timelines for the potential lunar impact of asteroid 2024 YR4’, such collisions would create a huge crater on the moon’s surface with a diameter of about 1 km. The event could also cause an “unusual lighting phenomenon, creating a bright flash visible from Earth for hours after the impact.
Asteroid 2024 YR4 was first spotted in December 2024, hurtling through space at a speed of more than 60,000 kilometers per hour. This space rock came to prominence as the first asteroid to necessitate a “coordinated international planetary defense response” after mounting concerns about a possible impact with Earth. Although initial reviews are now positive, a recent study states that the current trajectory offers a ‘rare and valuable scientific opportunity’.
Scientists believe the asteroid is composed of silicate rock that comes from a group of asteroids in the central main belt between Mars and Jupiter. Although the threat to our planet has been reduced, the probability of an impact on Earth before the year 2032 was previously estimated at 3.1%.
