A real object, a real date, and lingering uncertainty.

Scientists are watching asteroid 2024 YR4 with renewed attention after early concerns about an Earth impact gave way to a more complicated scenario. First spotted in December 2024 by the ATLAS survey in Chile, the building sized object is now confirmed to miss our planet. That reassurance, however, came with a twist that keeps astronomers alert.
New orbital refinements using data from the James Webb Space Telescope suggest a small but measurable chance the asteroid could strike the Moon on December 22, 2032. What could follow will be dramatic.



