What is going on with the asteroid heading towards Earth - and should we be worried?

A “city-destroying” asteroid is hurtling in the direction of Earth and has now made it to the top of a NASA risk table.

The agency’s Planetary Defence Team was set up in order to detect and monitor hazardous asteroids or comets that come within 30 million miles of Earth and it has grown concerned about one in particular – an asteroid named 2024 YR4.

It comes amid concerns about an asteroid named 2024 YR4, which was spotted on 27 December 2024 by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (Atlas) in Chile. The asteroid is estimated to measure up to 300ft (90 meters) in diameter.

Although 2024 YR4 is millions of miles away from Earth at the moment, experts have calculated that it could strike our planet by December 2032, where it could entire our atmosphere at speeds of 38,000mph and cause as much damage as 100 nuclear bombs.

While space agencies monitor the potential threats that asteroids pose to us on Earth, what it can actually do when an asteroid is on a collision cause with Earth is another question entirely.

Now, the odds that a “city-destroying” asteroid will hit Earth in less than 10 years have been upgraded, what options do we have?

How likely is asteroid 2024 YR4 to hit Earth?

The key question is whether or not the asteroid is actually going to strike our planet and various space agencies are monitoring the situation.

Initial calculations estimated a one in 83 chance of 2024 YR4 hitting Earth, but those figures have since been altered to a one in 43 chance (2.3 per cent).

NASA says the probability of impact with Earth remains “extremely low,” but it has tasked the James Webb Space Telescope with observing it to monitor the risk.

What can be done about it?

Experts have been experimenting with the possibility that asteroids can be deflected to stop them from colliding with Earth.

In 2022, NASA successfully completed a Double Asteroid Redirection Test (Dart), in which it managed to nudge a 581-foot-wide asteroid named Dimorphos into a new orbit.

While that particular asteroid didn’t pose a threat, it gives experts a potential plan of action. However, one caveat is it took seven years to complete the mission.

With just over seven years until experts predict 2024 YR4 may reach Earth, some experts fear it’s not enough time.

Dr Robin George Andrews, since journalist and author, told The Sun: “They can do this. But you want as many years as possible. It’s a bit tight.”

Taking to X/Twitter, Professor Brain Cox said: “Interesting situation - if the probability remains this high then we will have to make a decision on preparing a deflection mission - which would be a good investment even if (as is most likely) we don’t need to use it this time.”

Another potential option, and one that China is exploring, is the idea of hitting it with a spacecraft.

Dr Andrews argued that it’s an option the European Space Agency should spend more on.

He argued: “Planetary defence is remarkably cheap. The Dart mission costs about $325 million, which again, sounds like a lot, but that’s the price of a high-end luxury yacht.”

In 2022, an asteroid entered Earth’s atmosphere above Iceland, meanwhile, experts have been analysing a piece of an asteroid they collected from space.

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