How scientists could stop the ‘city-killer’ asteroid from striking Earth in 2032
A 100-metre-wide asteroid hurtling towards Earth has triggered a global defence plan after it was discovered the space rock could hit our home planet in 2032.
The asteroid, named Asteroid 2024 YR4, has a 1.3 per cent – or one in 83 – chance of striking Earth on December 22 in 2032. Scientists estimate the lump of rock measures somewhere between 40 metres (131 feet) and 100 metres (328 feet) wide, which is around the length of a Boeing 747 or the height of Big Ben.
NASA has identified thousands of near-Earth asteroids (NEAs), most of which are larger than half a mile wide. However, the newly discovered asteroid is at the top of the agency’s risk list being the only asteroid known to NASA to have a more than a one per cent chance of impact.
Experts fear the space rock has the potential to wipe out a big city. The European Space Agency says "an asteroid this size impacts Earth on average every few thousand years and could cause severe damage to a local region.”
Current estimates suggest the asteroid has a 98.7 per cent chance of missing Earth, skimming past at a distance of about 66,000 miles (106,200 kilometers) away. That said, the non-zero odds of impact have led scientists to draw up a 'just in case' plan.
"Even if unlikely, this asteroid could crash somewhere on Earth with potentially devastating consequences, even if only local,” explains Prof Fred Jourdan, a Professor at Curtin University and director of the Western Australian Argon Isotope Facility. “If it is headed for Earth, we’ll need a plan to prevent a collision, such as pushing it off course or even destroying it.”
Prof Jourdan says a solid defence plan against Asteroid 2024 YR4 can’t be made until scientists are certain of the rocks structure. “You don’t