Spotted by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) on December 27, 2024, the asteroid is estimated to be 180 feet (55 meters) in diameter. While it is not large enough to destroy the planet, it has a 1-in-83 chance of becoming a “city killer” on December 22, 2032.
NASA scientists have identified the massive asteroid, named 2024 YR4, which poses a potential threat to Earth in the coming years.
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ATLAS Predicts City Killer Danger
Although its odds of impact are small—about 1.2%—2024 YR4 could wreak havoc if it collides with Earth. Scientists predict it would release approximately 8 megatons of energy, more than 500 times the force of the Hiroshima atomic bomb. Such an event could obliterate a city but would not cause global devastation.
“This object’s level-three rating on the Torino Impact Hazard Scale means there’s a 1% or greater chance of localized destruction,” according to the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS). However, they add, “Most likely, new telescopic observations will lead to a re-assignment to Level 0,” signifying no hazard.
