Above: Artist depiction of an asteroid flying by Earth. Credit: UH News/Space.com
Last year in December, a University of Hawaiʻi telescope spotted a potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroid. Described as “a city-killer,” 2024 YR4 was initially assessed by astronomers as having a 3% chance of crashing into Earth in 2032. But new data gathered last month using the Canada-France-Hawaiʻi Telescope on Maunakea suggests the likelihood of a collision is only 0.28%—great news for Earth and its inhabitants! However, astronomers remain vigilant and are closely tracking the asteroid’s course to ensure it does not beat the odds of an impact.