The Odds of a City-Killing Asteroid Hitting Earth Keep Rising
1 min read
Summary
The likelihood of the potentially city-destroying asteroid, 2024 YR4, hitting Earth has risen from 1.9% to 3.2%, potentially putting it on a collision course with our planet in eight years’ time.
Author Robin George Andrews said the asteroid’s orbit is not precisely known and that the odds of an impact are likely to fluctuate until more data is gathered.
However, he added that NASA’s newly launched James Webb Space Telescope may rule out an impact in 2032, though there may be an elevated risk until the asteroid makes its next flyby in 2028.
At that point, potentially, a mission could be mounted to try to shift the asteroid’s trajectory, though this would be a difficult task with limited time.
There is also the possibility that a nuclear device could be used to attempt to divert the asteroid, though this would be a highly controversial move.
