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Space

Building-sized asteroid has a small chance of hitting Earth in 2032

The asteroid is unlikely to be cause for concern, but its detection has triggered planetary defence response procedures for the first time

By James Dinneen

29 January 2025

Observations of the Near Earth Asteroid 2024 YR4 carried out with ESO鈥檚 Very Large Telescope in January 2025

Observations of the Near Earth Asteroid 2024 YR4 carried out with ESO鈥檚 Very Large Telescope in January 2025

ESO/O. Hainaut et al.

An asteroid up to 100 metres wide has a 1-in-83 chance of impacting Earth on 22 December 2032. That risk of impact is enough to have triggered global planetary defence response procedures for the first time.

鈥淭his is a historic moment,鈥 says at the European Space Agency (ESA).

The asteroid, dubbed 2024 YR4, was first detected on 27 December 2024 by an automated telescope…

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