NASA looking for ways to destroy asteroid that could strike Earth, kill city
Share and Follow

The chances of a giant space rock striking the Earth have decreased, but NASA and other space agencies are still devising a plan to obliterate it.

Asteroid 2024 YR4, a recently discovered planetoid, now has a 1.5% probability of making impact with Earth, according to NASA.

Even though the new probability is down from the previously reported 2.6%, and above the initial 1% chance in late January, international agencies are plotting a way to destroy the terrestrial chunk, if need be.

NASA

(Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The likelihood of a strike will fluctuate as astronomers learn more about the asteroid’s path around the sun, and the probability may eventually drop to zero.

NASA and the European Space Agency’s Webb Space Telescope will observe this near-Earth asteroid in March before the object disappears from view. It will come back into view in 2028.

While the asteroid is only classified as a Level 3 out of 10 on an asteroid hazard scale, it remains capable of “localized destruction.”

asteroid impact alert system

This image made available by University of Hawaii’s asteroid impact alert system on Dec. 27, 2024, highlights where asteroid 2024 YR4 would be. (ATLAS/University of Hawaii/NASA via AP)

The alert level is the second highest recorded since 2004 when the asteroid Apophis reached Level 4, according to previous reporting. 

Researchers later found that Apophis would safely pass Earth in 2029.

Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan, Fox Weather and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Share and Follow
You May Also Like
Protesters gather in front of ICE officers. One holds a sign reading ABOLISH ICE

Federal Agents Use Tear Gas to Clear Protesters in Chicago Standoff

CHICAGO ()  Federal immigration officers deployed what is believed to be tear…
Don Lemon hits back at Megyn Kelly for comments about his husband

Don Lemon Responds to Megyn Kelly’s Remarks on His Husband

Don Lemon told Megyn Kelly to to ‘get the f**k out of…
Evermore Surprise Eggs recall: Lead issue affects nearly 100K

Recall of Evermore Surprise Eggs: Lead Contamination Impacts Close to 100,000 Toys

The recall impacts roughly 98,350 eggs in yellow, pink or green colored…
Taylor Swift fans heartbroken after album 'exposes' her as 'mean girl'

Taylor Swift Fans Disappointed as Album Paints Her as a ‘Mean Girl’

Taylor Swift’s new album, The Life of a Showgirl, has upset some…
Nicole Kidman made the same mistake as she did in 2001

Nicole Kidman Repeats a Mistake from 2001

Backdropped by a sunlit ocean, Nicole Kidman basks in a romantic serenade…
Chinatown celebration of 'Hungry Ghosts' seeks to scare away taboos about death

Chinatown’s ‘Hungry Ghosts’ Festival Aims to Demystify Death Taboos

CHINATOWN, Manhattan — Growing up in Vietnamese Chinese communities in Virginia and…
Keith Urban guitarist 'other woman' Maggie Baugh's REAL boyfriend

Meet Maggie Baugh’s Actual Boyfriend: The Guitarist Linked to Keith Urban

The young guitarist at the center of rumors that she is Keith…
Taylor Swift's album RELEASED! The Life of a Showgirl drops

Taylor Swift Unveils New Album: “The Life of a Showgirl” Out Now!

Taylor Swift’s album, The Life of a Showgirl, is now officially out…