The asteroid is currently at level three on the Torino Impact Hazard Scale, which is a system used to determine how big a threat an asteroid or comet is to planet Earth.
It's made of a rocky substance rather than more robust materials like iron, which is significant because it means it could break into smaller pieces if it enters Earth's atmosphere, says Doctor Luca Conversi, who is the manager of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre (NEOCC), which is heavily involved in monitoring 2024 YR4.
The 2024 YR4 asteroid set off automated asteroid warning systems after it was spotted through advanced telescopes in Rio Hurtado, Chile, last December.
This means an asteroid or comet can have a 100% chance of reaching Earth but still be a 0 on the Torino Scale because its size doesn't pose a threat.
There is a chance - albeit a small one - that an asteroid could hit planet Earth within the next decade.
