JWST refines 2024 YR4’s path, lunar impact odds drop to zero

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Source: Live Science
JWST refines 2024 YR4’s path, lunar impact odds drop to zero
Photo: Live Science
TL;DR Summary

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope refined the trajectory of near-Earth asteroid 2024 YR4, eliminating the possibility it will hit the Moon and lowering the lunar‑impact probability from about 4.3% to zero. The asteroid will pass by the Moon at roughly 13,200 miles (21,200 km) from the lunar surface in 2032, while Earth remains safely distant. The rock is estimated at 53–67 meters in diameter, and JWST’s observations—among the faintest ever of an asteroid—pushed the telescope to its limits. NASA plans another JWST look at 2024 YR4 in 2028.

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