Asteroid approaching Earth: scientists urge not to panic. Is a collision possible in 2032?
7 february 2025 в 23:28
An asteroid is approaching Earth in the future, but officials urge the public not to panic. Just a few days after astronomers initially claimed that the probability of a direct impact on the planet was low, they increased the likelihood by another percent. So, will the comet actually collide with Earth in 2032? And if so, what will happen to humanity?
The forecast is remarkably similar to the plot of the 2020 Netflix comedy «Don't Look Up», - starring Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Rob Morgan, Jonah Hill, Ariana Grande, Melanie Lynskey, Tyler Perry, Cate Blanchett, Kid Cudi, Timothée Chalamet, and several other well-known actors.
Below are all the updates that NASA has shared so far about the 2032 asteroid.
As of the time of publication, according to the NASA Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, there is a 2.3 percent chance that an asteroid called 2024 YR4 will collide with the planet in 2032. Less than a week before NASA’s forecast, the European Space Agency announced that the probability of a direct impact on Earth is only 1.3 percent.
Astronomers predict that the asteroid could collide with Earth on December 22, 2032, reports The Guardian. The media also reported that the «city killer» comet is approximately 90 meters wide, which is roughly the size of the Tunguska asteroid that affected a large part of the Siberian forest in 1908.
Sky watchers first noticed the 2032 asteroid in Chile shortly before the beginning of 2025.
If the upcoming asteroid 2024 YR4 collides directly with Earth, as reported by CBS News, the explosion from it would be equivalent to about eight megatons of TNT, which is more than 500 times the power of the bomb in Hiroshima. If YR4 explodes over the ocean, the impact on humanity will be less dangerous. However, if it approaches the coast, a tsunami could be triggered.
According to NASA, Earth is actually constantly being hit by smaller objects; people just don’t know when a small object hits the planet due to their small size. However, the last known fireball event occurred in 2013 when an asteroid the size of a small building disintegrated at an altitude of 20 kilometers above the Russian city of Chelyabinsk
The forecast is remarkably similar to the plot of the 2020 Netflix comedy «Don't Look Up», - starring Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Rob Morgan, Jonah Hill, Ariana Grande, Melanie Lynskey, Tyler Perry, Cate Blanchett, Kid Cudi, Timothée Chalamet, and several other well-known actors.
Below are all the updates that NASA has shared so far about the 2032 asteroid.
As of the time of publication, according to the NASA Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, there is a 2.3 percent chance that an asteroid called 2024 YR4 will collide with the planet in 2032. Less than a week before NASA’s forecast, the European Space Agency announced that the probability of a direct impact on Earth is only 1.3 percent.
Astronomers predict that the asteroid could collide with Earth on December 22, 2032, reports The Guardian. The media also reported that the «city killer» comet is approximately 90 meters wide, which is roughly the size of the Tunguska asteroid that affected a large part of the Siberian forest in 1908.
Sky watchers first noticed the 2032 asteroid in Chile shortly before the beginning of 2025.
If the upcoming asteroid 2024 YR4 collides directly with Earth, as reported by CBS News, the explosion from it would be equivalent to about eight megatons of TNT, which is more than 500 times the power of the bomb in Hiroshima. If YR4 explodes over the ocean, the impact on humanity will be less dangerous. However, if it approaches the coast, a tsunami could be triggered.
According to NASA, Earth is actually constantly being hit by smaller objects; people just don’t know when a small object hits the planet due to their small size. However, the last known fireball event occurred in 2013 when an asteroid the size of a small building disintegrated at an altitude of 20 kilometers above the Russian city of Chelyabinsk
© Kolganov Andrey
