Scientists have ruled out any threat to Earth from asteroid YR4, which initially had a probability of impact of up to 3% this month.
The newly discovered asteroid, called 2024 YR4, was considered a potential threat to one of the world's most populated regions in 2032. However, the European Space Agency has lowered the probability of a collision to 0.001%, while NASA has set it at 0.0017%.
This means that the asteroid will pass close to Earth in 2032 without risk of collision and poses no threat for at least a century.
Paul Chodas, director of NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, told the Associated Press that there is no chance that the probability will increase and that a collision in 2032 has been completely ruled out.
"This was what we expected all along, even though we couldn't be 100% sure," he said.
NASA also reported that there is a 1.7% chance that the asteroid will hit the moon on December 22, 2032, but Chodas expects that probability to decrease over time.
Telescopes around the world will continue to track the asteroid as it passes Earth, and the Webb Space Telescope will focus on it next month to determine its exact size. The asteroid is expected to disappear from view in a month or two.
The asteroid, discovered in December and estimated to be between 40 and 90 meters across, passes close to Earth every four years, offering a valuable opportunity for scientific study, according to a statement from NASA.
