Phew! NASA confirms 'city destroying' asteroid will MISS moon in 2032

"Using data from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope observations collected on Feb. 18 and 26, experts from NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California have refined near-Earth asteroid 2024 YR4's orbit and are ruling out a chance of lunar impact on Dec. 22, 2032. With the new data, 2024 YR4 is expected to pass by the lunar surface at a distance of 13,200 miles (21,200 km)."

"The challenge was significant: to use one of the most complex machines humankind has ever built to track an almost invisible object many millions of kilometres away - and then accurately predict its position almost seven years into the future. By carefully comparing the asteroid's position relative to the background stars, the researchers were able to measure its orbit."

Asteroid 2024 YR4, a 220-foot space rock, was initially tracked by NASA with concerning collision probabilities. Early measurements suggested a one in 32 chance of hitting Earth in 2032, later revised to a four percent chance of impacting the Moon. Using data from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope collected in February, researchers from NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies refined the asteroid's orbit calculations. An international team led by Johns Hopkins University identified observation opportunities to track the previously unobservable asteroid. By measuring its position relative to background stars, scientists confirmed the asteroid will safely pass the Moon at a distance of 13,200 miles on December 22, 2032, eliminating all impact risks.

Read at Mail Online