Asteroid that "destroys cities" may crash into the Earth: scientists name date X
Scientists have warned that a newly discovered "city-destroying" asteroid could slam into Earth in the next decade. The space rock, named 2024 YR4, is 60 meters wide.
According to the latest estimates, the probability of a dangerous asteroid hitting our planet is 1.2 percent. This X-hour will occur on December 22, 2032, writes DailyMail.
On December 22, 2032, an asteroid will approach the Earth.
Source: NASA
According to the researchers, the asteroid 2024 YR4, which astronomers discovered last year, is about the same size as the Tunguska meteorite, which caused the most explosive impact in human history when it passed through the Earth's atmosphere in 1908, killing three people.
It should be recalled that the then space rock exploded in the air over Siberia in what is known as an "airburst." This impact, equivalent to the explosion of 50 million tons of TNT, felled approximately 80 million trees over an area of more than 22,000 km². It's hard to imagine what would have happened if the meteorite had hit a densely populated city, experts say.
Scientists emphasize that on December 22, 2032, the asteroid 2024 YR4 will approach our planet by about 106,000 kilometers. However, orbital uncertainty can increase the probability of a direct collision with the Earth from one to 1.2 percent.
The geographical area where 2024 YR4 could impact stretches from South America across the Atlantic Ocean to sub-Saharan Africa.
Source: Wikimedia
Asteroid 2024 YR4 immediately topped NASA Sentry's automatic risk list, which categorizes known near-Earth objects (NEOs) by their likelihood of colliding with our planet. But the probability of this asteroid hitting our planet is low. And even in that unlikely event, scientists are not sure how much damage it would cause.
That's because the strength of its impact will depend on aspects of its composition that are currently unknown and a more accurate estimate of its size, experts say. "The likelihood of a collision is still very low, and the most likely outcome would be a rock coming close to us," said asteroid researcher David Rankin.
He added that the current "risk corridor" or geographic area where an asteroid is most likely to hit runs from South America across the Atlantic Ocean to sub-Saharan Africa. But that zone could change thanks to new observations and better orbit calculations, Rankin said.
Once 2024 YR4 is identified as a potential threat, scientists will monitor it until 2032.
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