Asteroid 2024 YR4 poses 3% impact risk Earth in 2032

NASA has identified asteroid 2024 YR4 as having a 3.1% chance of hitting Earth on December 22, 2032, marking the highest impact risk recorded in modern forecasting. This 'city-killer' asteroid, estimated to be between 130 and 300 feet wide, poses a significant threat due to its high velocity, which could result in an airburst with explosive power over 500 times that of the Hiroshima bomb. While the likelihood of impact has fluctuated, experts, including those from the European Space Agency, emphasize that there is no immediate cause for alarm. The asteroid's trajectory is being closely monitored, with detailed observations planned by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope in March. Despite the risks, the consensus among scientists is that the asteroid is not a global extinction threat and is more likely to impact an ocean rather than a populated area. Public figures, including former astronaut Chris Hadfield, have drawn attention to the potential devastation, likening the asteroid's impact to a massive grenade exploding in the Earth's atmosphere.