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

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.
- James Webb telescope pushed to its limits by new observations of 'city killer' asteroid 2024 YR4 Live Science
- New NASA Asteroid Observations Eliminate Chance of 2032 Lunar Impact NASA Science (.gov)
- Asteroid 2024 YR4 will not impact the Moon European Space Agency
- Notorious asteroid 2024 YR4 won't crash into the moon after all Scientific American
- No chance asteroid will slam into the moon in 2032, NASA says ABC News
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