NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab has reported a rising impact probability for asteroid 2024 YR4, which now stands at 3.1%, making it the highest-threat asteroid to date. This significant risk includes potential impacts on populous regions, with the asteroid's size of up to 330 feet capable of causing immense destruction. If it strikes, it would release eight megatons of energy, far surpassing historical bomb impacts. As observations continue, the uncertainty regarding its trajectory may diminish, potentially altering the risk assessment further.
According to NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, near-Earth asteroid 2024 YR4 now has a 3.1 percent chance of colliding with our planet on December 22, 2032.
In the unlikely event that 2024 YR4 is on an impact trajectory, the impact would occur somewhere along a risk corridor which extends across the eastern Pacific Ocean, northern South America, the Atlantic Ocean, Africa, the Arabian Sea, and South Asia.
The asteroid would approach the Earth's surface at a terrifying 38,000 mph. Upon impact, it would release eight megatons of energy, which is more than 500 times the energy released by the bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima.
As more observations of the asteroid are made, the uncertainty region will continue to shrink and the impact probability may continue to rise.
Collection
[
|
...
]