Shock asteroid with 1-in-83 chance of hitting Earth in seven years is spotted hurtling through space
Shock asteroid with 1-in-83 chance of hitting Earth in seven years is spotted hurtling through space
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ASTRONOMERS have been rocked by the discovery of a new asteroid that could hit Earth in only seven years. Experts say there's currently a one in 83 chance the asteroid could strike the planet in 2032. However, they caution that there's no need for the public to panic as the data is likely to change for the better as they learn more about it.
![[Asteroid in space.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/asteroid-rock-green-starry-background-967536778.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Nevertheless, the rock has been added to the top of Nasa's impact risk list. The asteroid, named 2024 YR4, was only recently discovered by scientists. It's thought to be 55-metres wide, about half the length of a football pitch. The Torino scale - Nasa's hazard scale rating - has put 2024 YR4 at three out of 10, meaning it's an asteroid "meriting attention by astronomers".
![[nasa 's asteroid watch list lists the most dangerous asteroids that could hit earth in future]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/tp-graphic-nasa-asteroid-watchlist-sept20-new.jpg?strip=all&w=687)
Nasa's description of a three rating says: "Current calculations give a 1% or greater chance of collision capable of localized destruction. "Most likely, new telescopic observations will lead to re-assignment to Level 0. "Attention by public and by public officials is merited if the encounter is less than a decade away.".
David Rankin, an engineer at the Catalina Sky Survey, wrote on BlueSky: "This is one of the highest probabilities of an impact from a significantly sized rock ever, making it a Torino scale 3. "Most likely outcome is still a near miss. We continue to track it!".
