Asteroid 2024 YR4: Should We Be Worried About This Earth-Approaching Rock?
The asteroid 2024 YR4 was detected on December 27 and could approach Earth on December 22, 2032. Currently, it has a 1.6% chance of impacting Earth, which is a slight…
Asteroids are small, rocky celestial bodies that orbit the Sun, primarily found in the region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter known as the asteroid belt. They vary in size from a few meters to hundreds of kilometers in diameter. Asteroids are remnants from the early solar system, composed of materials that never coalesced into planets. Their surfaces are often pockmarked with craters and may contain metals and other minerals. Unlike comets, asteroids typically lack significant amounts of ice and are characterized by their solid, rocky composition. They can have irregular shapes and are classified into different types based on their composition and location in the solar system, such as C-type (carbonaceous), S-type (silicaceous), and M-type (metallic) asteroids. Asteroids are of interest to scientists not only for their role in understanding the formation of the solar system but also for the potential resources they may hold and the threats they can pose to Earth through potential impacts.
The asteroid 2024 YR4 was detected on December 27 and could approach Earth on December 22, 2032. Currently, it has a 1.6% chance of impacting Earth, which is a slight…