The asteroid is unlikely to hit Earth within eight years from now, and astronomers are seeking the help of NASA’s James Webbspace Telescope to study it. It is characterized Potential “city killer”; The asteroid was first detected in December and so Possibility of affecting our planet It’s been fluctuating since then, according to NASA and the European Space Agency.
Spacelock is officially named the 2024 YR4. Scientists say the risk that IT will come into contact with the Earth is far away – NASA has a 3.1% chance before reducing the estimate to 1.5%, and finally reaching this portion, the European institutions reach around 2.8% They say they put it on the solar system on December 22, 2032. Asteroids are likely to pass without problems, but those tasked with monitoring physical attributes and potential have shifted up the probability of collisions since YR4 in 2024. It was first discovered.
In January, the European Space Agency raised the chance that an asteroid would hit Earth at about 1% before NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory estimated the risk of end-of-month risk was close to 1.6%. Officials from both agencies acknowledge that the 2024 YR4 is unlikely to cause problems, and the ESA is currently at risk as those studying it are still uncertain about the key features of the asteroid. He states that the estimate is probably unnecessary high.
Currently, astronomers estimate that the asteroid is between 40 and 90 meters wide, which is about 130 to 295 feet wide. For reference, American football fields measure lengths of 100 yards (300 feet).
“Improved YR4 size estimates for 2024 is extremely important,” the ESA said in a statement Monday.
With the small chance that asteroids will attack Earth in 2032, their impact will be localized. However, the 2024 YR4 received a Level 3 out of 10 on the Turin Impact Hazard Scale.
NASA
“Asteroids of this size can affect Earth on average every millennia, causing serious damage to local areas,” the ESA said in a previous statement on the 2024 YR4.
If an asteroid is attacked by a planet, NASA said its potential impact sites could include regions in the South Pacific, South America, Atlantic, Africa, the Arabian Sea and South Asia.
Bill Harwood, a consultant at CBS News Space, said it would be “really catastrophic” if it lands in a densely populated area, but that the effect would be localized.
“It’s not like a rock that killed the dinosaurs,” Harwood said. “It won’t affect the global climate, but it’s certainly going to be a disaster of every proportion, so we all hope that doesn’t happen.”
To gain a deeper understanding of asteroids and better prepare what is coming, astronomers will use Webb telescopes to collect data on sizes that cannot be accurately observed without telescope technology, the ESA says. Ta.
Scientists are generally limited to observing asteroids based on the amount of visible light reflected from the sun, and usually with bright light that informs larger asteroids, Webb Telescope calculates its infrared emissions, making it more accurate This allows for a estimation.
According to the ESA, Webb appears to be the brightest in March and will start studying the asteroid again in May. The 2024 YR4 then disappears from view for a while, and astronomers take time to interpret the telescope data and determine what it means for the asteroid’s route before it reappears in 2028.
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