Scientists address 'city-destroying' asteroid discovered that could hit Earth
A newly discovered asteroid has a small chance of hitting Earth in 2032, and it's caught NASA's 'attention'.
The asteroid called '2024 YR4' was discovered last month (27 December) by a telescope in Chile.
Detected from almost 27 million miles away, it's estimated to be 130 to 330 feet (40 to 100 metres) across, but this prediction could change.
At the moment, that's big enough to potentially wipe out a city, such as Kansas City, according to Mashable.
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However, Paul Chodas, director of NASA's Centre for Near Earth Object Studies, isn't massively concerned, given the 1.2 percent probability of it colliding with Earth.
“We are not worried at all, because of this 99 percent chance it will miss,” he said. “But it deserves attention.”
David Rankin also told Space.com that 'people should absolutely not worry about this yet'.
"Impact probability is still very low, and the most likely outcome will be a close approaching rock that misses us," he added.
Currently, the asteroid's 'risk corridor', meaning the most likely geographical area it could impact, is from South America across the Atlantic Ocean to sub-Saharan Africa.
But Rankin notes that this area is subject to change.
"Size and composition are big players in possible damage, along with impact location," he explained.
"It's hard to constrain size and composition with the current orbital situation, as it's outbound."
The most effective way of measuring an asteroid's size is with radar observations, but because 2024 YR4 is so far away, it's difficult to calculate its size.
Although by 2028, it should be close enough to detect how big or small it's going to be.
As things stand, scientists rely on the asteroid's absolute magnitude, or brightness, to figure out its structure.
"If the asteroid has a darker surface, that number is too small; if it has a more reflective surface, that number is too high," Rankin added.
"If [2024 YR4] is made of stony material, it could cause a significant air burst and fireball reaching the ground.
"If made of iron, it will punch right through the atmosphere with little trouble and make an impact crater.
"This is why understanding not just the orbit but also the composition and size are so critical."
Even though the probability is low, the potential impact could take place on 22 December 2032.
The good news, according to NASA, is that no other known large asteroids have an impact probability above one percent, for now.
Anish Vij