Overview

• Asteroid 2024 YR4, estimated to be 40-90 meters in diameter, was initially thought to have a 3% chance of impacting Earth in December 2032.
• Recent calculations by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have reduced the asteroid's impact probability to close to 0%, with ESA reporting a likelihood of 0.001%.
• The asteroid briefly held the highest recorded impact probability for a sizable asteroid before new data from global telescopes refined its trajectory.
• Astronomers will continue studying YR4 using tools like NASA's James Webb Space Telescope in March to better understand its characteristics and inform planetary defense strategies.
• The asteroid's discovery highlights the importance of global monitoring and early detection systems to mitigate potential asteroid threats in the future.