An asteroid that sparked concerns about potentially hitting Earth no longer poses a significant threat of slamming into the planet, according to NASA’s latest analysis.
The asteroid, Asteroid 2024 YR4, which was first spotted by telescopes on Dec. 27, now has a 0.004 percent chance of hitting the planet and is “expected to safely pass by Earth in 2032,” NASA said in a Monday update.
The asteroid previously had a “very small, but notable chance” of ramming into Earth in 2032.
With further observations, experts at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies determined “more precise models” of the asteroid’s trajectory show “there is no significant potential for this asteroid to impact our planet for the next century.”
“The latest observations have further reduced the uncertainty of its future trajectory, and the range of possible locations the asteroid could be on Dec. 22, 2032, has moved farther away from the Earth,” NASA said.
While Earth might not be in harm’s way, our moon is not entirely in the clear, according to NASA. The space agency said there is currently a 1.7 percent chance the asteroid could “impact” the Moon on Dec. 22, 2032.
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope will continue to examine the asteroid in March “to further gain insights about its size for scientific purposes.”
The space agency added that despite the asteroid no longer being a “significant impact hazard” to planet Earth, it was an “invaluable opportunity for experts at NASA and its partner institutions to test planetary defense science and notification processes.”
