Published: 15:56, February 26, 2025
NASA: Asteroid 2024 YR4 no longer poses significant threat to Earth
By Xinhua
Near-Earth Object Telescope at Purple Mountain Observatory captures 2024YR4 on Jan 7, 2025. The small bright spot pointed to by the red arrow is the asteroid.(PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

LOS ANGELES - NASA has confirmed that asteroid 2024 YR4, which was initially flagged as a potential threat, poses no significant danger to Earth in 2032 or beyond.

The near-Earth asteroid, nearly the size of a football field, was first discovered in December last year. Experts previously projected a 3 percent chance of the asteroid striking our planet before lowering the chance to 0.28 percent last week.

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Following further observations, NASA updated the probability of its impact on Dec 22, 2032 to only 0.004 percent, said the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies.

NASA added that the asteroid poses no significant risk to Earth for at least the next century. However, there remains a 1.7 percent chance it could impact the moon.

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NASA will continue to observe asteroid 2024 YR4. The asteroid's observation has provided valuable data for advancing planetary defense methods and refining impact prediction processes, the agency said.