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But what do you need to know about the space rock that astronomers say is capable of leveling a mid-sized city?', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cm77z2wgg000e01rwjxj0ynxg@published'}, {'data': {'text': '<iframe width="100%" height="165px" frameborder="0" src="https://player.amperwavepodcasting.com?&feed-link=https%3A%2F%2Frss.amperwave.net%2Fv2%2Fepisode%2F7263181_2025-02-06-044021&withPlaylist=false&theme=dark&playerDisplay-logoType=Audacy"></iframe>', 'isIframe': True, 'componentVariation': 'html-embed', 'fbInstantArticleHtml': '<iframe width="100%" height="165px" frameborder="0" src="https://player.amperwavepodcasting.com?&feed-link=https%3A%2F%2Frss.amperwave.net%2Fv2%2Fepisode%2F7263181_2025-02-06-044021&withPlaylist=false&theme=dark&playerDisplay-logoType=Audacy"></iframe>'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/html-embed/instances/cm77z2wgg000f01rw7ixqcxiu@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'According to international space agencies, including NASA, the probability that the asteroid, named 2024 YR4, will hit land on Earth or the moon is still relatively low, at around 2%.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cm77z2wgg000g01rww2pjed3y@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'They also note that there is a stronger chance, 98%, that the rock passes by Earth.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cm77z2wgg000h01rw3105t1ez@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'However, much remains unknown at this moment due to the asteroid still being too close to Earth, meaning our instruments can’t yet observe it.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cm77z2wgg000i01rw46e1cqkh@published'}, {'data': {'text': '<strong>When might it hit?</strong>', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cm77z2wgg000j01rw0gbpri40@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'While the chance of the asteroid hitting Earth remains low, space agencies and astronomers alike are still taking the possibility of the threat seriously.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cm77z2wgg000k01rwd4hl2mtt@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'Richard Moissl, the head of the European Space Agency, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/key-facts-asteroid-could-hit-earth-2032-european-space-agency-expert/">shared with CBS News</a> that the asteroid passes by the Earth every four years, last doing so in December 2024, meaning it will fly by again in December 2028, which he says isn’t the problem.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cm77z2wgg000l01rwul7pvsfo@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'The pass-by that could result in an impact may occur in 2032, on the 22nd of December.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cm77z2wgg000m01rwqdghpzvd@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'Still, collision isn’t guaranteed. Moissl shared that astronomers are certain the asteroid will be passing through a part of the orbit of the Earth, meaning they only need to figure out if Earth will be there at that time or if it will have already passed.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cm77z2wgg000n01rwdvy39wwv@published'}, {'data': {'text': '<iframe width="100%" height="165px" frameborder="0" src="https://player.amperwavepodcasting.com?&feed-link=https%3A%2F%2Frss.amperwave.net%2Fv2%2Fepisode%2F7280586_2025-02-13-052126&withPlaylist=false&theme=dark&playerDisplay-logoType=Audacy"></iframe>', 'isIframe': True, 'componentVariation': 'html-embed', 'fbInstantArticleHtml': '<iframe width="100%" height="165px" frameborder="0" src="https://player.amperwavepodcasting.com?&feed-link=https%3A%2F%2Frss.amperwave.net%2Fv2%2Fepisode%2F7280586_2025-02-13-052126&withPlaylist=false&theme=dark&playerDisplay-logoType=Audacy"></iframe>'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/html-embed/instances/cm77z2wgg000o01rwi5cg2uic@published'}, {'data': {'text': '<strong>How big is it?</strong>', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cm77z2wgg000p01rw1jt8gplk@published'}, {'data': {'text': '<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/15/science/asteroid-2024-yr4-earth-tracking/index.html">While speaking with CNN</a>, Dr. Paul Chodas, manager for the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, said that the asteroid is in a “size range comparable to that of a large building,” or about 131 to 295 feet wide.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cm77z2wgg000q01rwoja8kse4@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'Despite not having exact measurements yet, Chodas stresses that the size of the rock is nowhere near the “planet-killer” asteroid believed to have slammed into Earth 66 million years ago, causing the extinction of dinosaurs.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cm77z2wgg000r01rwzffkdiah@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'That asteroid was estimated to be about 6.2 miles in diameter.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cm77z2wgg000s01rwd8o64w2t@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'Still, rocks the size of 2024 YR4 can cause serious damage if they hit on land or somewhere that is populated, though the odds are extremely low.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cm77z2wgg000t01rw2dlfzapc@published'}, {'data': {'text': '<a href="https://www.planetary.org/articles/what-was-the-chelyabinsk-meteor-event#:~:text=When%20it%20hit%20the%20Earth\'s%20atmosphere%20it,(less%20than%2019%20miles)%20above%20the%20surface.&text=The%20explosion%20created%20a%20flash%20that%20was,than%20the%20atomic%20bomb%20detonated%20at%20Hiroshima.">For example, in 2013, a 66-foot-wide asteroid entered the planet’s atmosphere</a> over Chelyabinsk, Russia, and exploded in the air. The result was 20 to 30 times more energy than the first atomic bomb.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cm77z2wgg000u01rwpin9i18p@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'The explosion was so big it generated a bright flash greater than the sun while also exuding heat that left more than 1,000 people injured and 7,000 buildings damaged.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cm77z2wgg000v01rw7g7yj7e1@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'According to the ESA, if 2024 YR4 were to see a similar ending, the effects could be significantly worse, being that the space rock is far larger.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cm77z2wgg000w01rw326viruq@published'}, {'data': {'text': '“If the asteroid is found to have a diameter in the (50 meters) range, and if it can be confirmed that it is a rocky asteroid, the effects would be similar to those of the Tunguska impact in 1908, where a surface area of (2,000 square kilometers) was devastated, and 20 million trees were affected,” according to a document shared by the ESA. “This is equivalent to the area of a circle (25 kilometers) in diameter. 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What to know about the asteroid that could hit Earth in 2032

By Joe HitiFeb 16, 2025

News broke last week that an asteroid could potentially collide with Earth in the next eight years. But what do you need to know about the space rock that astronomers say is capable of leveling a mid-sized city?

According to international space agencies, including NASA, the probability that the asteroid, named 2024 YR4, will hit land on Earth or the moon is still relatively low, at around 2%.

They also note that there is a stronger chance, 98%, that the rock passes by Earth.

However, much remains unknown at this moment due to the asteroid still being too close to Earth, meaning our instruments can’t yet observe it.

When might it hit?

While the chance of the asteroid hitting Earth remains low, space agencies and astronomers alike are still taking the possibility of the threat seriously.

Richard Moissl, the head of the European Space Agency, shared with CBS News that the asteroid passes by the Earth every four years, last doing so in December 2024, meaning it will fly by again in December 2028, which he says isn’t the problem.

The pass-by that could result in an impact may occur in 2032, on the 22nd of December.

Still, collision isn’t guaranteed. Moissl shared that astronomers are certain the asteroid will be passing through a part of the orbit of the Earth, meaning they only need to figure out if Earth will be there at that time or if it will have already passed.

How big is it?

While speaking with CNN, Dr. Paul Chodas, manager for the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, said that the asteroid is in a “size range comparable to that of a large building,” or about 131 to 295 feet wide.

Despite not having exact measurements yet, Chodas stresses that the size of the rock is nowhere near the “planet-killer” asteroid believed to have slammed into Earth 66 million years ago, causing the extinction of dinosaurs.

That asteroid was estimated to be about 6.2 miles in diameter.

Still, rocks the size of 2024 YR4 can cause serious damage if they hit on land or somewhere that is populated, though the odds are extremely low.

For example, in 2013, a 66-foot-wide asteroid entered the planet’s atmosphere over Chelyabinsk, Russia, and exploded in the air. The result was 20 to 30 times more energy than the first atomic bomb.

The explosion was so big it generated a bright flash greater than the sun while also exuding heat that left more than 1,000 people injured and 7,000 buildings damaged.

According to the ESA, if 2024 YR4 were to see a similar ending, the effects could be significantly worse, being that the space rock is far larger.

“If the asteroid is found to have a diameter in the (50 meters) range, and if it can be confirmed that it is a rocky asteroid, the effects would be similar to those of the Tunguska impact in 1908, where a surface area of (2,000 square kilometers) was devastated, and 20 million trees were affected,” according to a document shared by the ESA. “This is equivalent to the area of a circle (25 kilometers) in diameter. If larger, the effects would extend to several tens of (kilometers).”

How is it being managed?

In April, the object will be far enough away from Earth that we will be able to observe it using our more powerful instruments. The James Webb Telescope is being tasked with taking measurements of the asteroid.

After measurements are taken, astronomers will be able to fully calculate the chance that the rock will strike the Earth or moon.

However, astronomers will have to act fast as the window for observing the asteroid will soon close, leaving questions either solved or unanswered until it can be observed again in mid-2028.

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