NASA Warns 'City Killer' Asteroid Could Hit Moon in 2032

The huge asteroid 2024 YR4 was first discovered in 2024 and initially thought to have a 1 in 450 chance of smashing into Earth, but the space agency has now said it will instead hit the Moon, though the consequences could still be devastating.

A massive asteroid, initially feared to be on a collision course with Earth, is now predicted to potentially strike the Moon. The 'city killer' asteroid YR4, roughly the size of a 10-story building, was detected in 2024 and has a 4.3% chance of hitting the Moon by 2032, as per the latest forecast from NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies.

Experts warn that if YR4 were to hit the Moon, the event could unleash devastation akin to an atomic explosion, potentially triggering a meteor shower that might endanger satellite systems orbiting Earth.

The concern extends to the possibility of debris from such a lunar impact reaching Earth's atmosphere, posing a threat to numerous essential satellites.

Mr. Tucker noted that recent studies suggest an impact with the moon could blast significant amounts of debris into space, which would then increase the odds of a satellite collision by a thousand-fold. Such an event would have catastrophic effects on Earth, disrupting global communications, navigation systems, financial sectors, and even military operations.

The asteroid known as 2024 YR4 is presently too distant for detection by either space-based or terrestrial telescopes, but NASA anticipates it will come within observational range when its orbit brings it nearer to our planet in the year 2028. It's thought that gravitational forces exerted by Jupiter might have nudged the asteroid into its current trajectory.

March observations conducted with the James Webb Space Telescope revealed infrared data indicating that the size of 2024 YR4 spans anywhere from 174 to 220 feet (53 to 67 meters). Striking the Moon, it could represent the largest celestial object to do so in almost five millennia; solar system dynamics specialist Dr. Paul Wiegert warns that such a vast object could easily obliterate a space station or satellite.

According to the source: Irish Star.