Football-Field-Sized Asteroid That Won't Hit Earth, Still Has Chance of Striking Moon

An asteroid that earlier sparked fear of hitting Earth may now be on a different path heading towards the Moon. According to scientists, there's a small chance, around 2 per cent, that this asteroid could strike the Moon in the year 2032.

Discovered in December 2024

Named 2024 YR4, the asteroid was first spotted on December 27, 2024, by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS). It immediately drew attention because early calculations showed it could come very close to Earth just 2.5 million kilometers away. In space terms, that’s quite close.

Earth Now Safe, But Moon at Risk

After further tracking, scientists found that the asteroid was unlikely to hit Earth. By January 2025, they refined its orbit and almost completely ruled out a collision with our planet by zero per cent. But the asteroid could still strike the Moon, which does not have an atmosphere to destroy up such big asteroids meaning a direct impact could leave a visible impact on the surface on Moon.

Fast-Spinning and Football-Field Sized

The asteroid is shaped like a hockey puck and is about the size of a football field in diameter which is about 60m. One of its most unusual features is its rapid spin, it completes a full rotation every 20 minutes. That’s much faster than most asteroids, and scientists believe this fast spin could affect how it behaves in space as per AP.

Origin From Main Asteroid Belt

A recent study suggests that 2024 YR4 likely comes from the central region of the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. This area is not usually known for producing space rocks that cross paths with Earth or the Moon, which makes this asteroid even more interesting to researchers.

What Happens If It Hits the Moon?

If the asteroid does hit the Moon, the impact would be noticeable. Since the Moon has no protective atmosphere, the object wouldn’t break apart before crashing it would leave a dent on the lunar surface, which might even be visible through telescopes from Earth.

For now, scientists continue to monitor 2024 YR4 closely. Although Earth is no longer ununder continuscientistscontinuscithecontinuscientistscontinuscithedercentralregionder threat.