In the past few weeks, there has been talk of a newly discovered asteroid that could potentially collide with Earth. NASA and European Space Agency’s have been monitoring the asteroid through telescopes and have concluded as of right now,  there is a 2% chance that the space rock nicknamed, YR4, will hit Earth in 2032. It seems that the odds of a collision will continue to fluctuate as the asteroid’s path becomes clearer, however, there is a strong possibility the risk will drop to zero over time. 

NASA and the European Space Agency’s Web Space Telescope will continue to watch this asteroid in March of 2025, but after this period of time, it is supposed to disappear from view. After this point, it will not be until 2028 that scientists can monitor  and check for its path. 

YR4 is estimated to be 130 feet to 300 feet, which would likely have similar effects as the Tunguska, an event that flattened thousands of square miles of a remote Siberian forest in 1908. This explosion knocked down roughly 80 million trees and over a 2,150 square kilometer area. Though this event caused destruction to the Earth itself, there were very few deaths. If YR4 is any larger than 300 feet, it is expected to come with serious consequences to both the planet, as well as humans. Currently, the director of NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, Paul Chodas, has told people not to worry as there is a very good chance that the asteroid’s impact probability will decrease over time.