The vast universe is fraught with dangers, including numerous asteroids that could be on a collision course with Earth at any moment.

Just ask the dinosaurs.

These ancient creatures famously vanished 66 million years ago, likely due to a colossal asteroid known as the Chicxulub impactor, which is believed to have altered the Earth’s climate and enabled mammals to flourish after their extinction.

Fortunately, humanity has advanced significantly over millions of years.

With ever-enhancing technology at our disposal, we are now capable of detecting and preparing for unidentified asteroids that are leftovers from the solar system’s early days, around 4.6 billion years ago.

That’s why scientists are not overly worried – at least not yet – about an asteroid identified late in 2024, which is currently regarded as the greatest potential impact threat to Earth in two decades.

This asteroid, named 2024 YR4, measures approximately 130 to 300 feet across and has just over a 1% chance of colliding with Earth in 2032. It is classified as a near-Earth asteroid since its orbit brings it within 30 million miles of our planet, marking it as the most threatening asteroid observed since the infamous Apophis was discovered in 2004.

In contrast to Apophis, additional observations eventually allowed astronomers to rule out its potential for impacting Earth during its close pass in 2029 and again in 2036, as confirmed in 2021. Scientists expect a similar outcome for YR4 as it continues to be monitored globally.

If any asteroid were to present a genuine threat to Earth, various space agencies worldwide have been developing a planetary defense strategy against these hazardous objects for years.

“We’re not just waiting for an asteroid to hit,” remarked Richard Moissl, head of the European Space Agency’s Planetary Defence Office, in a recent statement. “We are actively working to equip Earth with defenses against a potential impact.”

What is asteroid 2024 YR4 and why are scientists focused on it?

The asteroid 2024 YR4 is causing concern because its risk of an Earth collision is unusually high – resulting in a catastrophic event, even if it doesn’t lead to mass extinction.

The asteroid was detected late last year and recorded on December 27, 2024, by the Minor Planet Center, which officially tracks and reports new asteroids, comets, and small bodies in the solar system. NASA and other astronomers became more interested when the asteroid appeared on the U.S. Space Agency’s Sentry Impact Risk Table, which monitors known asteroids that might potentially hit Earth.

Projections suggest that there’s just over a 1% chance of the asteroid hitting Earth on December 22, 2032. Furthermore, 2024 YR4 has a rating of 3 out of 10 on the Torino Impact Hazard Scale, which astronomers use to rate the threat level of near-Earth objects.

Due to these factors, astronomers and officials are closely watching the asteroid until it’s likely to be discounted as a threat.

Recall Apophis? This asteroid once had an even greater risk

Asteroid 2024 YR4’s Torino Scale rating of 3 is the second-highest for any asteroid, following the notorious Apophis, which initially reached a rating of 4 upon discovery. During its 2029 flyby, the chances of Apophis impacting Earth briefly soared to 2.7% on the Sentry Impact Risk Table.

The combined Torino rating and impact probability made Apophis one of the most concerning asteroids ever monitored. However, like many assessments, this one evolved as astronomers gathered more information about the asteroid’s orbit.

A radar observation campaign in March 2021, along with detailed orbital analyses, eventually confirmed that this asteroid poses no risk of impacting Earth for at least a century.

Instead, Apophis, which is roughly one-quarter of a mile long (similar to the size of a cruise ship), is expected to come within 20,000 miles of Earth’s surface on April 13, 2029. This will be the closest approach of any large asteroid in history, closer than communication satellites, according to the ESA.

NASA and ESA plan spacecraft missions to study Apophis

In the coming years, both NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) aim to capitalize on Apophis’ rare flyby by deploying uncrewed spacecraft for observation.

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx, which fetched samples from the asteroid Bennu in September, has been renamed OSIRIS-APophis EXplorer (OSIRIS-APEX) and set on a course to rendezvous with Apophis in 2029. While it won’t gather samples this time, OSIRIS-APEX will conduct an 18-month survey, mapping the asteroid’s surface and examining its chemical makeup in June of that year.

Meanwhile, the ESA plans to launch a spacecraft called Ramses. Scheduled a year in advance, Ramses will meet Apophis prior to its close pass and will accompany it on its exit trajectory.

Throughout this mission, observations will be made to track changes to the asteroid’s surface due to its proximity to Earth, according to the agency’s July announcement.

DART and Hera: Initiatives to test and research asteroid-deflection technologies

The scientific groundwork isn’t solely observational. In September 2022, NASA showcased its ability to divert an approaching asteroid by crashing a spacecraft into it in its Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART.

Launched in November 2021, DART traveled for over ten months before colliding with Dimorphos at around 14,000 mph. Although this tiny asteroid posed no threat to Earth, NASA’s goal was to test a technique for redirecting potentially harmful objects on a collision course with our planet.

Now, a spacecraft from the European Space Agency, named Hera, is en route to closely examine the remnants of this asteroid deflection experiment.

Hera launched on October 7 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida for a two-year mission to Dimorphos, a small orbiting moonlet of the larger 2,560-foot asteroid Didymos.

Hera is expected to enter the orbit of the Didymos binary system in October 2026, where it will assess the effectiveness of NASA’s test, according to agency officials. They hope that findings from NASA’s experiment will enable space agencies to execute similar maneuvers in the future.

NASA is also developing an asteroid-detecting telescope called the NEO Surveyor, intended to identify near-Earth objects that could cause significant damage. Targeted for launch no earlier than June 2028, the telescope aims to find 90% of asteroids and comets larger than 460 feet that come within 30 million miles of Earth’s orbit.

UN marks 2029 as the ‘international year of asteroid awareness’

Raising public awareness is critical for understanding the potential dangers Earth may face from space. In this light, the ESA recently expressed its support for a United Nations declaration that 2029 be recognized as the “International Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defense.”

This designation is timed to coincide with the close approach of Apophis and aims to promote global cooperation on planetary defense strategies while educating the public about near-Earth asteroids, according to the ESA.

“As we enhance our technology, we will uncover more asteroids on safe trajectories that we might have overlooked in the past,” remarked Moissl from the ESA. “It is essential to foster public engagement to help everyone distinguish between facts and myths.”

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news