Could an asteroid strike Earth? NASA is tracking asteroid that is closing in on our planet
Could an asteroid really strike our planet?
In what seems to be the backstory of a doomsday science fiction flick, NASA is tracking an asteroid that has a non-zero chance of striking Earth.
Here's what we know about Asteroid 2024 YR4, and when it could possibly hit our planet.
The asteroid, according to NASA, is roughly 130 to 300 feet wide, and has a very small chance of impacting Earth on Wednesday, December 22, 2032.
NASA notes that an impact from Asteroid 2024 YR4 could be damaging, and that it poses threats to domestic and international security.
"It is large enough to cause localized damage in the unlikely event that it should impact Earth," read NASA's Asteroid 2024 YR4 website. "And while 2024 YR4 has a very small chance of Earth impact in 2032, it has surpassed the 1% impact probability threshold to warrant formal notification of the object to other U.S. government agencies involved in planetary defense as well as to the Space Mission Planning Advisory Group."
While NASA didn't specify how damaging a theoretical Asteroid 2024 YR4 strike could be, global published reports are painting a harrowing picture of what an impact could look like.
Although it won't come close to causing the total destruction of all life on Earth, one report estimates Asteroid 2024 YR4 could have an impact radius of 4.54 miles, instantly killing humans, animals and vegetation caught in the radius and miles beyond.
Others labeled Asteroid 2024 YR4 as the most dangerous asteroid in the last 20 years.
You probably don't need to worry about setting up any underground shelters to avoid Asteroid 2024 YR4 fallout, however.
Space.com scientists believe the chances of Asteroid 2024 YR4 actually striking our planet will decrease greatly in the coming years.
Damon C. Williams is a Philadelphia-based journalist reporting on trending topics across the Mid-Atlantic Region.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: NASA is tracking an asteroid; could it strike our planet?
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