https://search.brave.com/search?q=Asteroid+2024+YR4&summary=1
Asteroid 2024 YR4 is a near-Earth object discovered on 27 December 2024 by the ATLASβCHL (W68) telescope in RΓo Hurtado, Chile, with precovery images dating back to 25 December 2024.
It is classified as an Apollo-type asteroid with an elliptical orbit that crosses Earth’s path, having a semi-major axis of 2.5158 AU and an orbital period of approximately 3.991 years.
The asteroid made a close approach to Earth on 25 December 2024, passing at a distance of 828,800 km (515,000 miles; 2.156 lunar distances), two days before its discovery, and then passed 488,300 km (303,400 miles; 1.270 LD) from the Moon.
Initial observations raised concerns about a potential Earth impact in 2032, with probabilities peaking at around 3%, but further tracking confirmed that there is no significant risk to Earth.
Instead, current models indicate a 4% chance that 2024 YR4 will impact the Moon on 22 December 2032.
The asteroid is estimated to be about 60Β±7 meters in diameter, likely composed of stony S-type, L-type, or K-type material, and rotates approximately every 19.5 minutes.
The James Webb Space Telescope observed it on 26 March 2025, refining its size and spectral characteristics, and future observations, particularly around its 2028 close approach to Earth, are expected to improve predictions of its trajectory.
AI-generated answer. Please verify critical facts.
From 3% to 0%--not much of a move--but gives total relief.
Why bury the good news so deep?