The asteroid known as the "city killer" was discovered in December last year. The scientific name of this planet is 2024 YR4. Astronomers around the world are keeping a close eye on this asteroid.
This asteroid is 130 to 300 feet wide. This asteroid is about the size of a large office building. The chance of hitting Earth during a close flyby on December 22, 2032 is currently 1.5 percent.
Since the chance of this asteroid hitting is more than the critical limit of 1 percent, global space agencies including NASA are closely monitoring its path.
Based on NASA's assessment and reported by Scientific American, the potential impact area of asteroid 2024YR4 extends from the eastern Pacific Ocean to South Asia. This area includes densely populated cities such as Bogota (Colombia), Lagos (Nigeria) and Mumbai (India).
The asteroid is also very unlikely to hit the moon. If it were to hit Earth, the consequences could be devastating.
If the asteroid were to break up in the atmosphere or its debris were to hit the surface, the immediate effects could be like the explosion of a hydrogen bomb, potentially destroying any city in its path.
However, scientists are optimistic as the chance of a collision is decreasing every day. Bruce Bates, chief scientist at the Planetary Society, told the New York Post that the chance of a collision could drop to zero in the coming months or years.
Here are 70 clones of #asteroid 2024 YR4 that do hit Earth, highlighting the impact risk corridor. There are some big cities along that line: #Bogota, #Lagos, #Mumbai.
— Tony Dunn (@tony873004.bsky.social) February 11, 2025 at 12:38 AM
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Still, NASA astronomers are taking no chances. NASA is working with international counterparts, including the China National Space Administration (CNSA), Roscosmos (Russia), and the European Space Agency (ESA), to refine the asteroid's predicted path.
A team of astronomers plans to use NASA's James Webb Space Telescope to get a more accurate estimate of the asteroid's size and trajectory.
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