CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The Webb Space Telescope has recently captured images of an asteroid that grabbed headlines earlier this year when it was flagged as a potential threat to Earth. Initially spotted towards the end of last year, the asteroid named 2024 YR4 was once believed to hold a 3% likelihood of colliding with our planet by 2032. However, further observations have since diminished this threat to nearly nonexistent levels, although there’s still a slim possibility it could impact the moon in the future. This asteroid makes a loop near Earth every four years.
NASA, in collaboration with the European Space Agency, has unveiled these new photographs, with the asteroid appearing as a blurred spot within the imagery. The data from the Webb Telescope has confirmed that the asteroid is approximately 200 feet (60 meters) wide, comparable to the height of a 15-story building. Importantly, it stands as the smallest object that the telescope—the largest and most formidable to ever be launched into space—has observed to date.
Astronomer Andrew Rivkin from Johns Hopkins University praised the findings captured by the Webb Telescope, labeling them as “invaluable” for understanding asteroids that might pose future threats. This particular space rock, 2024 YR4, has been under the watchful eye of ground-based telescopes over the last few months as well.
According to Rivkin, the insights gained from these observations offer an excellent opportunity to grasp more about objects the size of 2024 YR4, including any that might be on a collision course with Earth in the future. These efforts are pivotal as part of ongoing preparations to tackle similar asteroid threats that could emerge later.