NASA's latest predictions show a slight uptick in the chance of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting Earth, increasing from 1.2% to 1.3%. The asteroid, approximately 200 feet wide, could cause significant damage if it impacted a populated area. However, experts, including MIT’s Richard P Binzel, emphasize that the increased odds are negligible and reflect normal scientific variability. They estimate a more likely close pass at about 66,000 miles. Comparisons to the Tunguska event of 1908 highlight the potential for severe damage yet maintain that current risk levels are low.
Richard P Binzel, an astronomer from MIT, stated, 'The difference between 1.2 percent and 1.3 percent doesn't matter... This is simply how scientific data measurements play out.'
Asteroid 2024 YR4, if it were to hit Earth, could potentially cause extensive damage similar to the Tunguska event, which flattened 80 million trees.
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