City killer asteroid’s surprise change of direction, potential new collision site identified

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Everybody believed the world was going to end when scientists declared that asteroid 2024 YR4 was headed for a collision with Earth. The initial forecast was that it had a spine-chilling 1 in 77 chance of colliding with our planet on December 22, 2032. The news spread like wildfire across the world, and people prepared themselves for the worst.

But in a thrilling turn of events, it appears the asteroid has had second thoughts. Following closer inspection and analysis, NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies updated the odds of impact to just 0.28%. And if that wasn’t enough of a sigh of relief, the James Webb Space Telescope has now made it official that the asteroid has a near-zero probability of colliding with Earth.

But don’t be thinking the asteroid is innocently moving by. It’s now set its target on the moon, with a 2% collision probability. Astronomer Andrew Rivkin uncovered that the new path of the asteroid has made scientists follow its movements closely. The asteroid will be analyzed once more by the Webb telescope in May 2025 before it vanishes into the outer solar system.

The asteroid, which was spotted on December 27, 2024, was originally believed to be football field-sized. But fresh readings have shown that it’s considerably smaller, coming in at some 174-220 feet (53-67 meters) wide. Although no longer a risk to Earth, the fact it could potentially crash into the moon has scientists intrigued as to what would occur were it to actually hit the lunar body. One thing is certain the world is exhaling in relief that asteroid 2024 YR4 is no longer heading for collision with Earth.

Also Read: New Found Asteroid May Hit Earth, Astronomers Warn Of Potential Threat

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