Although the risk of a large asteroid hitting Earth is almost non-existent, there is a slightly higher probability of it hitting the Moon, NASA announced.
When is the first time asteroid 2024 IR4 discovered, there was a very small chance of it hitting Earth in 2032, but the US space agency said the probability had been reduced to 0,004 percent.
However, NASA has now announced that the risk of it hitting the Moon in the same year has doubled – rising from 1,7 percent to 3,8 percent.
This calculation is based on data obtained from telescopes, including the James Webb Space Telescope.
"There is still more than a 96 percent chance that the asteroid will miss the Moon," NASA said in a statement, adding that even if it did, it would not change the Moon's orbit.
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The asteroid is estimated to be between 53 and 67 meters wide, which is approximately the height of a ten-story building.
Since 2024 IR4 was first spotted by a telescope in the Chilean desert in December, dozens of other objects have passed closer to Earth than the Moon.
It is likely that some smaller objects hit Earth or burned up in the atmosphere, but went unnoticed.
The surface of the Moon is full of craters created by asteroid and comet impacts in the past.
Although another impact is unlikely, it could be a rare opportunity to observe the Moon in this situation.
Mark Burchill, professor of space sciences at the University of Kent, told the magazine New Scientist that hitting the moon would be a "great experiment".
"Telescopes would certainly spot it, and it could also be seen with binoculars," he added.
The Webb telescope will observe the asteroid again next month for further analysis.
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