The discovery of an asteroid that is likely to collide with the ground in 2032

The International Astronomy Center announced the discovery of a new asteroid with the symbol “2024 YR4”, and it is characterized by the fact that its collision with the Earth is the highest among other asteroids.

Engineer Mohamed Shawkat Odeh, Director of the International Astronomy Center and member of the International Antigrant Warning Network, said that the asteroid was discovered on December 27 by telescopes of the “Atlas” system, and that its diameter is estimated between 40 meters to 100 meters, indicating its classification on the “Turin” scale of asteroids That may collide with the Earth by 1.2% and is the highest rating so far, beating the “Abofis” asteroid, which has been excluded as the possibility of colliding with the land.

He added that the asteroid approached the ground on December 25, as it was 829 thousand km, and that it is expected to return to approach again on December 17, 2028 without pose a threat, but its third passage on December 22 of 2032 may pose a potential danger.

He explained that the asteroid was monitored for only 34 days, and that the decrease in its shine currently makes it a difficult goal even for large telescopes, calling on astronomical observatories to focus on monitoring this asteroid urgently, although the opportunity to monitor it accurately will be better in 2028.

According to the available data, the asteroid will pass near the Earth on December 22, 2032 at a distance of 106 thousand kilometers with an error margin of 1.6 million km, which allows the opportunity to collide with the planet, within a narrow strip that runs from West Central America through North South America and then in the Atlantic Ocean and parts of Africa, to India.

The data also indicate that the damage, in the event of a collision, will be local; As the asteroid diameter is similar to the asteroid that caused the Tongoska incident in Siberia in 1908; As a meteorite explosion over the area destroyed about 2000 square kilometers of forests, and led to the uprooting of more than 80 million trees, while the explosion power was estimated at 10-15 MB of “TNT”.

It is noteworthy that the Turin scale is used to classify the celestial bodies based on the possibility of colliding with the earth and the danger of that collision, and it consists of 10 degrees; Where the number 10 indicates the maximum risk.