An Asteroid That Was Once A Threat to Earth Could Hit the Moon In 2032, Says NASA

NASA said that Asteroid 2024 YR4, which last year created a buzz over the possibility that it might be a threat to Earth, could hit the Moon in 2032. Asteroid 2024 YR4, approximately 53-67 metres in diameter, about the size of a 10-storey building, was discovered late last year. It has been classified as an Apollo-type asteroid.

It's not visible from Earth as it is currently too distant to see with telescopes, but the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) managed to observe it one last time before it disappeared in its orbit around the Sun.

The experts from NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California further refined the asteroid's orbit with the help of additional information.

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NASA said that the asteroid's probability of impacting the Moon has slightly increased from 3.8% to 4.3%.

The US-based space agency mentioned that there's a small chance that the asteroid will impact, but it would not alter the Moon's orbit.

According to James Webb data, the knowledge about the exact location of the asteroid on December 22, 2032, has been improved by nearly 20%.

Astronomer Pawan Kumar, a former researcher at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics in Bengaluru, told Space.com that the Moon is indeed safe. Kumar said that a collision with the moon "won't be a cause for concern" as any Moon debris blasted into space from the impact "would blow up in Earth's atmosphere if any of it makes it to near-Earth space."

The @ESA_Webb space telescope has spotted asteroid 2024 YR4!

Webb's observations indicate that the asteroid measures roughly 60 m across, making it the smallest object targeted by Webb to date.https://t.co/37mHGe4otj

Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, A Rivkin (JHU APL) pic.twitter.com/ZLWmsnn4L1

— ESA Operations (@esaoperations) April 2, 2025

2024 YR4 was a threat to Earth

The asteroid created a buzz last year when it was reported that it had a small chance of impacting Earth. However, NASA later concluded the object poses no significant impact risk to Earth anytime soon.

However, astronomers are continuously monitoring the asteroid's impact risk. They are also tracking its orbital characteristics to better understand its potential trajectory.