A small asteroid, comparable in size to a football, was reported by media sources to have passed Earth on Christmas Day 2022 at twice the distance separating Earth and the Moon. This asteroid has been designated 2024 YR4.
NASA and Chinese scientists are now working together to monitor YR4, as the asteroid has attracted worldwide concern. Aerospace scientists estimate that in 2032, YR4 will have a 1 in 38 probability of hitting Earth, potentially causing damage equivalent to a nuclear blast.
The University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy first detected YR4 in December. Scientists have determined that its dimensions range between 130 and 300 feet across, as per media reports.
According to a Newsweek report on YR4, NASA considers it one of the most perilous near-Earth objects currently being tracked.
China has taken swift measures in response to the situation. The State Administration of Science, Technology, and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND) launched a planetary defense initiative via WeChat to recruit asteroid monitoring specialists. Meanwhile, NASA has made progress in planetary defense, as demonstrated by its successful DART mission, which used a kinetic impactor to alter an asteroid’s trajectory.
NASA and China are focusing their research efforts on planetary defense through kinetic impactor technology, which they consider the key intervention method. The European Space Agency (ESA) also tracks asteroids and warns that while large impacts are statistically infrequent, they tend to occur once every few thousand years, causing severe localized destruction.
Asteroid YR4 will make its closest approach to Earth in 2032, leaving limited time for intervention. The ESA continues to provide regular updates on asteroid paths, while NASA and China work on developing their planetary defense systems.
As quoted by Times of India, NASA Administrator, Bill Nelson stated that, “All of us have a responsibility to protect our home planet. This mission shows that Nasa is trying to be ready for whatever the universe throws at us.”
