2024 YR4 Asteroid Threatens Moon with City Destruction
Asteroid with Potential to Impact Earth in 2032: NASA Scientists Increase Probability
NASA scientists have recently increased the probability of an asteroid impacting Earth in 2032 from 1.2 percent to 2.3 percent. The asteroid in question is about 55 meters wide and travels at a speed of 48 thousand kilometers per hour. While this asteroid is not large enough to destroy human civilization, it does have the capacity to cause significant damage to a city upon impact.
In the event of a collision, approximately 8 megaton energy could be released, which is 500 times more than the energy produced by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Additionally, there is a 0.3 percent chance of the asteroid hitting the Moon, according to David Rankin, an operation engineer at the University of Arizona.
Rankin assures that while such a collision may be observable from Earth, it is not expected to have a major impact on our planet. However, it is anticipated that the collision will create a large crater on the surface of the Moon, with the energy released being equivalent to 340 Hiroshima bombs.
Despite these developments, Gareth Collins, a professor of planetary sciences from London Imperial College, believes that the collision poses no significant danger to the world. He explains that any materials ejected from the Moon during the impact will burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere.
Efforts are ongoing to gather more information about the size and orbit of the asteroid known as 2024 YR4. An international team of scientists is utilizing the James Webb Space Telescope to study the asteroid more closely. This approach will provide a more accurate understanding of the asteroid’s size and composition.
While the probability of the asteroid impacting Earth or the Moon remains low, the recent increase in probability has garnered attention from the media. However, Rankin emphasizes that the likelihood of the asteroid hitting Earth is still significantly lower at 97.9 percent. He reassures the public that this particular asteroid is not a cause for alarm.
