Asteroids have long been considered a threat to Earth. It is believed that if an asteroid collides with Earth, it will cause devastation. Scientists have expressed the fear of an asteroid colliding with Earth many times, but it has never been proved true. Scientists have now discovered an asteroid that can collide with Earth. They have issued a warning regarding this. Scientists have named this asteroid 2024 YR4, which can prove to be dangerous for Earth.
The asteroid was first seen by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Warning System (ATLAS) on December 27, 2024. Investigation revealed that ATLAS had taken its picture two days earlier. After this, as more information was received about it, then astronomers were able to get information about its orbit. After this, he warned that there is a possibility of this asteroid colliding with Earth as well. Scientists have predicted that asteroid 2024 YR4 may hit Earth on December 22, 2032. US space agency NASA says there is a 3.1 percent chance of the asteroid hitting Earth.
NASA has identified the areas where the asteroid may fall. These areas include the Pacific, northern South America, the Atlantic, some areas of Africa, the Arabian Sea and South Asia. Cities like Mumbai, Kolkata, Dhaka, Bogota and Lagos are included in this danger zone. However, Colin Snodgrass, professor of planetary science at the University of Edinburgh, has expressed the possibility that the asteroid may pass without causing any harm. So there is no need to panic too much.
This asteroid has been rated three on the Torino Impact Hazard Scale. According to this, a close collision is possible. The Torino scale, which indicates danger from this, ranges from zero to 10. Zero means there is no risk of collision, while 10 means that collision is certain. The high rating has been given only to the Apophis asteroid, which was discussed a lot in 2004. Apophis was initially given a rating of four on the Torino scale. However, it was later downgraded because there is no danger from it for at least a century.
Gareth Collins, another planetary science professor from England, says increased monitoring of near-Earth objects has made the detection of rocks like the 2024 YRA asteroid more common. He says the asteroid must be tracked for a long time, so its path can be predicted with confidence.
It is said that the asteroid which hit and wiped out the dinosaurs was 10 to 15 kilometers wide. On an average, 100 meter wide asteroids hit the Earth every few thousand years. Such rocks can prove to be destructive on a city scale. Scientists have estimated that after hitting the Earth, this asteroid will release 8 megatons of energy. This energy will be 500 times more than the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima in Japan.
The International Asteroid Warning Network is working to observe it and reduce uncertainties in its orbit. The United Nations Space Mission Planning Advisory Group has been alerted and is expected to submit a plan to deflect the asteroid. Astronomers aim to understand it in greater detail in the coming months before it disappears.
Scientists' calculations do not rule out a collision in 2032. This asteroid will remain on space agencies' threat lists until it appears again in 2028. Given the asteroid's size, a mission like DART could be effective if needed.
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