The asteroid 2024 YR4, once considered potentially hazardous, isn't likely to hit us anytime soon. Now, a team of researchers says that instead of stressing about the near miss, we can be excited by it because it will give us a surprising opportunity to study the asteroid up close.
2024 YR4 was first discovered in December 2024. It's relatively small — just 130 to 300 feet (40 to 90 meters) across. But it's classified as an Apollo-type asteroid, meaning its orbit regularly intersects that of Earth, thus creating the potential for an impact. When 2024 YR4 was first observed, astronomers estimated that it had a roughly 1% chance of striking us.
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