
An asteroid that has a chance of hitting the Earth in 2032 is now being closely monitored by the United Nations planetary defence organisations.
According to a BBC report, the probability of the asteroid named 2024 YR4 hitting the Earth on 22 December 2032 is currently estimated to be 1.3%.
The European Space Agency (ESA) has stated that the asteroid will safely pass through the Earth with 99% chance of not having any collision, however a possible impact “cannot yet be entirely ruled out”.
The Royal Astronomical Society’s Dr Robert Massey said that he is “not panicking or losing sleep over it” due to the news of an asteroid’s possibility of hitting Earth in 2032.
There is no need for alarm. The thing about this kind of event is that historically they tend to go away when the calculations are refined,” Dr Massey said, as quoted by BBC
He further added “We need to be aware and we need to give astronomers the resources they need to track these kinds of threats so that we can take action as soon as possible.”
The YR4 asteroid, detected in December 2024, may create an impact similar to that of a nuclear bomb if it were to hit a populated area and astronomers have predicted it to be between 40m and 90m across.
But as per reports, the YR4 asteroid is bound to hit some remote location or fall into the ocean if it hits the Earth in 2032. YR4 is currently rated at level 3 out of 10 on the Torino Impact Hazard Scale.