The chances of our planet colliding with this newly discovered object in 2032 are very remote, but they have recently almost doubled. From devastating climate change to ongoing wars to the dismantling of the globe’s largest aid agency,

The risk of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting Earth seems to be creeping up as astronomers gather more data, but does that mean we should be scrambling to prepare for an impact in 2032?

The chances that a space rock could hit Earth in less than a decade just went up slightly, according to NASA scientists. The asteroid 2024 YR4, which is expected to pass Earth in 2032, was recently calculated to have a 1-out-of-43 chance of striking our planet. By contrast, last week 2024 YR4 had only a 1-out-of-83 chance of striking our planet.

YR4, discovered on December 27, 2024, by the ATLAS survey in Chile, has recently garnered attention due to an increased estimated chance of impacting Earth. Initially, the probability of collision was 1.

The chances of the asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting Earth in 2032 appear to have doubled, but an asteroid hunter explains to Space.com why this isn't cause for concern.

By comparison, the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs and 70% of all other animal species on Earth around 65 million years ago was roughly 6 to 9 miles wide. Other notable impact events include one in 1908,

The near-earth object first discovered in 2024 has stirred up conversation on social media because of the potential for an impact.