‘City-killer’ asteroid 2024 YR4 could hit the moon instead of us, scientists say

(Worthy Insights) – An asteroid that’s big enough to wipe out a city has a 1-in-43 chance of hitting our planet in the year 2032. But according to new calculations, there’s an even smaller chance that it might crash into the moon instead.

On Feb. 7, NASA scientists increased the likelihood of asteroid 2024 YR4 colliding with Earth on Dec. 22, 2032, nearly doubling the odds from 1.2% to 2.3%.

The potentially hazardous asteroid measures an estimated 180 feet (55 meters) across — about as wide as Walt Disney World’s Cinderella Castle is tall — and is traveling at nearly 30,000 mph (48,000 kph). Although it is too small to end human civilization, 2024 YR4 could still wipe out a major city, releasing about 8 megatons of energy upon impact — more than 500 times the energy released by the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima, Japan. But what if it hurtled into the moon instead? [ Source (Read More…) ]


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