Newly spotted asteroid has tiny chance of hitting Earth in 2032

There is slightly more than one per cent chance that asteroid 2024 YR4 will hit Earth. Representation pic

A newly discovered asteroid has a tiny chance of smacking Earth in 2032, space agency officials said on Wednesday. Scientists put the odds of a strike at slightly more than 1 per cent.

"We are not worried at all, because of this 99 per cent chance it will miss," said Paul Chodas, director of NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies. "But it deserves attention". First spotted last month by a telescope in Chile, the near-Earth asteroid - designated 2024 YR4 - is estimated to be 130 ft to 330 ft (40 metres to 100 metres) across.

Scientists are keeping close watch on the space rock, which is currently heading away from Earth. As the asteroid's path around the sun becomes better understood, Chodas and others said there's a good chance the risk to Earth could drop to zero. The asteroid will gradually fade from view over the next few months, according to NASA and the European Space Agency.

Until then, some of the world's most powerful telescopes will keep monitoring it to better determine its size and path. Once out of sight, it won't be visible until it passes by in 2028. The potential impact would occur on December 22, 2032.

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