Moon-Threatening Asteroid Has Weird Shape, Scientists Say
Asteroid 2024 YR4's star has faded when it comes to the general public, but scientists are pumped to be learning more about it. The space rock reached celebrity status earlier this year when initial data showed it had a small chance of striking Earth in 2032. Further observations ruled out the scary scenario—but the moon is still in play. Now we know more about the famous asteroid.
Scientists teamed up to study the asteroid and discovered some surprising information about its possible origin and shape. 'Studying this asteroid was vitally important in understanding the population of Earth crossers that have the potential to be Earth impactors and are poorly understood,' said astronomer Bryce Bolin of Eureka Scientific in a statement on April 8. Bolin is the lead author of a paper on the asteroid set to be published in 'The Astrophysical Journal Letters.'
Bolin and his colleagues used the Gemini South telescope in Chile to image the asteroid. 'Detailed analysis of the asteroid's lightcurve (pattern of light output in time) allowed the team to determine its composition, orbital characteristics and 3D shape,' the United States National Science Foundation National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory said.
The asteroid likely came from the solar system's main asteroid belt, a region between Mars and Jupiter. It's quite the hot hangout for asteroids, with NASA estimating it contains between 1.1 and 1.9 million asteroids larger than 0.6 miles in diameter—and many more smaller ones. 'We are a bit surprised about its origin in the central main asteroid belt, which is a location in the asteroid belt that we did not think many Earth-crossing asteroids could originate from,' said Bolin.
The asteroid has a fast rotation of only about 20 minutes. The data shows YR4 has a shape reminiscent of a hockey puck. That qualifies as another surprise. 'This find was rather unexpected since most asteroids are thought to be shaped like potatoes or toy tops rather than flat disks,' Bolin said.
The W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii also got in on the asteroid fun and contributed data to the team's paper. Keck's ability to see in infrared helped the researchers study the asteroid's composition. It's likely made of solid rock. Larger asteroids are often called 'rubble piles' since they're conglomerates of rock fragments. Asteroid YR4 may have once been a boulder on one of those larger asteroids.
Whether an asteroid is solid or a rubble pile makes a difference when it comes to planetary defense. That's crucial information that could help with planning a mission like NASA's DART test. DART involved crashing a spacecraft into an asteroid to alter its orbit.
Asteroid 2024 YR4 was first spotted in December. There had been some uncertainty about the asteroid's size, but NASA's James Webb Space Telescope turned its powerful instruments on the rock and found it measured in at about 200 feet wide, roughly the size of a 15-story building. That's within the initial estimates of between 130 and 300 feet wide.
At one point, early observations suggested 2024 YR4 had a 3.1% chance of impacting Earth. As more data came in, researchers revised that down to near zero. However, the asteroid now has a 3.8% chance of impacting the moon on Dec. 22, 2032. Don't worry about the moon, though. 'In the small chance that the asteroid were to impact, it would not alter the moon's orbit,' NASA said in a statement on April 2.
If YR4 does smack into the moon, it will be a thrilling time for astronomers. It would 'provide an unprecedented opportunity to study the relationship between the size of an asteroid and the size of its resulting impact crater—a previously unknown quantity,' NOIRLab said.
Researchers aren't done with YR4 yet. Webb is set to check it out again in late April or early May, even as the asteroid becomes too far away and too faint for ground-based telescopes to make observations.
Asteroid 2024 YR4 is no longer a big mystery. Its composition, size, shape and origin are better understood. We can also breathe a sigh of relief that it won't be barreling into our planet in 2032. The moon, however, may need to brace for impact. We'll know even more as scientists continue to study the space rock.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Digital Trends
4 hours ago
- Digital Trends
NASA astronaut's first ISS time-lapse is a real stunner
NASA astronaut Jonny Kim has shared his first-ever time-lapse from aboard the International Space Station (ISS) — and it's a real stunner. The dramatic 68-second clip shows a changing view of Earth as the space-based facility orbits our planet at an altitude of about 250 miles. Recommended Videos 'My first time-lapse,' Kim wrote in a social media post that included the video (below). Kim said he managed to nail it thanks to some time-lapse tips shared by fellow astronaut Nichole Ayers. 'After seeing the result, I told her this felt like fishing,' Kim wrote. 'Prepping the camera, the angle, the settings, the mount, then setting your timer and coming back to hope you got a catch. And after catching my first fish, I think I'm hooked.' My first time-lapse. Thanks to some instruction and tips from @Astro_Ayers, I caught my first aurora. After seeing the result, I told her this felt like fishing. Prepping the camera, the angle, the settings, the mount, then setting your timer and coming back to hope you got a… — Jonny Kim (@JonnyKimUSA) June 6, 2025 The video shows the space station flying into the night, with city lights in Asia and Australia visible far below, and bright stars shining in the far distance. A short while later, a gorgeous aurora appears over the horizon before filling much of the frame. Toward the end of the clip, one of the station's solar arrays also come into view. Auroras are natural light displays in Earth's sky, caused by charged particles from the sun colliding with the Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere. While also viewable from parts of Earth, astronauts on the ISS can also enjoy a unique view of this natural wonder. Indeed, for most astronauts, witnessing auroras is one of the highlights of their time in orbit. Earlier this year, another NASA astronaut, Don Pettit, shared a dramatic view of an aurora, captured as the ISS flew directly over it. Kim arrived at the space station with two Russian cosmonauts after launching aboard a Soyuz spacecraft in April this year. With another four months of his mission left to run, hopefully the American will have time to create more clips similar to his first outstanding effort.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
NASA raises the odds that an asteroid could hit the moon in 2032
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Asteroid 2024 YR4, once considered the highest impact risk to Earth ever recorded, is back in the spotlight — this time due to a slight increase in the chance that it could impact the moon in 2032. Although now too distant to observe from Earth, the asteroid briefly came into view in May for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Using data from the telescope's Near-Infrared Camera, a team led by Andy Rivkin of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory refined predictions of where 2024 YR4 will be on Dec. 22, 2032 by nearly 20%. That revised trajectory nudged the odds of a lunar impact from 3.8% to 4.3%, according to a NASA update. "As data comes in, it is normal for the impact probability to evolve," the statement read. Even if a collision occurs, "it would not alter the moon's orbit." Astronomer Pawan Kumar, a former researcher at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics in Bengaluru, agrees the moon is safe, noting a collision with the moon "won't be a cause for concern" because any moon debris blasted into space from the impact "blow up in Earth's atmosphere if any of it makes it to near-Earth space." First detected on Dec. 27 last year, 2024 YR4 is estimated to be about 174 to 220 feet long (53 to 67 meters), or about the size of a 10-story building. The asteroid quickly grabbed headlines for having more than a 1% chance of striking Earth, the highest recorded for any large asteroid. Follow-up observations in January and February saw the impact risk climb from 1.2% to a peak of 3.1%. The asteroid's projected trajectory at the time suggested it could cause blast damage across a wide potential impact zone, spanning the eastern Pacific, northern South America, Africa and southern Asia. If it enters Earth's atmosphere over the ocean, NASA estimated it would be unlikely to trigger significant tsunamis, but an airburst over a populated city could shatter windows and cause minor structural damage. However, the impact risk dropped sharply as additional orbital data came in. By Feb. 19, the probability had fallen to 1.5%, and then to 0.3% the next day. On Feb. 24, NASA announced an official "all clear" on social media, reporting the impact probability had dropped to just 0.004% and that the asteroid is "expected to safely pass by Earth in 2032." Further analysis has since allowed scientists to rule out any risk to Earth, not only in 2032 but from all future close approaches as well. Data from telescopes in Chile and Hawaii recently suggested the space rock originated in the central main belt between Mars and Jupiter and gradually shifted into a near-Earth orbit. Since mid-April, the asteroid has been too far away and too faint to be seen from Earth. It will swing back into view in 2028, giving scientists another chance to observe the asteroid and further refine its orbit using both JWST and ground-based telescopes. In particular, scientists will aim to gather more data on its shape and composition, which are key factors in understanding both its behavior and potential impact effects. RELATED STORIES — Odds of an asteroid impact in 2032 just went up. Here's why experts say you shouldn't worry — Asteroid apocalypse: How big must a space rock be to end human civilization? — Astronomers discover 196-foot asteroid with 1-in-83 chance of hitting Earth in 2032 While 2024 YR4 no longer poses any danger, it provided scientists with a rare, real-world opportunity to rehearse the full scope of planetary defense strategy, ranging from initial detection and risk analysis to public messaging. It was "an actual end-to-end exercise" for how we might respond to a potentially hazardous asteroid in the future, said Kumar. "2024 YR4 is a tailor-made asteroid for planetary defense efforts," he said. "It has everything it takes to get our attention."
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
12-mile-tall volcano on Mars punches through clouds
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A bit after sunrise on June 6, 2025, NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter saw one of Mars' biggest volcanoes, Arsia Mons, as it broke through the clouds. The volcano is the cloudiest of the Tharsis volcanoes, a trio that is tightly aligned on Mars' surface. Standing at over 12 miles (20 kilometers) with a diameter of 270 miles (450km), Arsia Mons is nearly twice as high as Mauna Loa, Earth's largest volcano, which sits at 6 miles (9 kilometers) from the seafloor. Due to its height, Arsia Mons is often covered by clouds that form when expanded air that was blown up the sides of the volcano rapidly cools. These clouds can be especially thick during aphelion, a period where Mars is farthest from the sun in its orbit. Clouds that form during this time at the planet's equator are known as the aphelion cloud belt, according to NASA. Arsia Mons is the southernmost volcano in a trio called the Tharsis Montes, or the Tharsis mountains, which are located in Mars' western hemisphere near its equator. The alignment of the Tharsis volcanoes suggests that a large fracture may have been responsible for the eruptions that formed all three volcanoes, according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). To the northwest of the group stands Olympus Mons, the biggest volcano in the solar system, at 16 miles (25 kilometers) high. Because of its cloud cover, Arsia Mons has been hard to photograph. This new image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter gives a first-of-its kind view at the peak of the volcano. The picture is also the first time any of the three Tharsis volcanoes has been captured on the horizon, offering a similar perspective as what astronauts see from the International Space Station when they view Earth, according to NASA. Unlike other regions of the planet, the clouds that surround this volcano are made of water ice, which remains in Mars' atmosphere most of the year. In fact, the Martian atmosphere contains more water vapor than the upper layers of Earth's atmosphere, according to JPL. Other areas of Mars contain dust storms made of carbon dioxide clouds. Studying these cloud formations helps experts to better understand how storms form and occur on the Red Planet. You can read more about Martian volcanoes and cloud storms as scientists dive further into the features of our planetary neighbor.
