An asteroid named 2024 YR4 is currently being tracked as it heads toward Earth, raising concerns among scientists. Discovered in December 2024, the "city killer" asteroid has a small but notable chance of colliding with Earth in 2032. UK scientist Dr. Robin George Andrews, a volcanologist, has warned that it might be too late to deflect the asteroid. The asteroid, which ranks 3 out of 10 on the Torino Scale, is estimated to be between 130 to 300 feet in diameter, potentially larger than the Statue of Liberty. If it were to strike land, it could devastate cities, and if it were to land in the ocean, the effects would be minimal.

Dr. Andrews expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of current asteroid deflection methods, even NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), which successfully altered the orbit of the asteroid Dimorphos in 2022. He cautioned that many asteroids are not solid rocks, but rather loose collections of sand, dirt, and boulders held together by weak gravity. Hitting such an asteroid could cause it to break apart instead of changing direction, sending smaller but still dangerous fragments toward Earth, comparing it to “turning a cannonball into a shotgun spray”. He also noted the limited time available, as planning and executing a deflection mission could take 10 years or more, while the asteroid is expected to arrive in just 8 years.

NASA is closely monitoring the asteroid, with the James Webb Space Telescope being deployed to observe it. The asteroid will be at its brightest in March 2025, when the first round of NASA observations is scheduled. Follow-up observations will take place in May as YR4 moves away from the Sun, providing the last opportunity to study it until it returns in 2028. NASA’s Centre for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) continues refining the asteroid’s trajectory using advanced orbital simulations.

Space agencies worldwide are accelerating efforts to develop asteroid-deflection technologies. China has launched its own planetary defense initiative, recruiting experts to monitor and develop strategies for asteroid deflection. The ESA has placed 2024 YR4 at the top of its risk list, with a 2.2% chance of hitting Earth in 2032, though scientists expect this probability to decrease as they gather more data. Proposed strategies for deflecting or neutralizing an asteroid threat include multiple small impacts to shift its trajectory, detonating a nuclear device near the asteroid, using ion beams from a space probe, and employing a gravity tractor spacecraft.