An asteroid that had a very small chance of hitting Earth is no longer a potential threat, according to scientists.
The 2024 YR4 asteroid climbed to the top of the risk list earlier this month when the chance of a collision in 2032 tripled from 1.2% to about 3% (about one in 33).
It first set off warning systems in December after being spotted through telescopes in Chile, travelling around 38,000mph.
Professor Brian Cox had even talked of a possible “deflection mission” if the risk did not drop.
But anyone faintly worried about a potential Armageddon scenario can now rest easy – the European Space Agency has slashed the chance of impact on Earth to 0.001%, and NASA to 0.0017%.
The US space agency said it poses “no significant impact risk to Earth in 2032 and beyond”.
Paul Chodas, head of NASA‘s near-Earth objects studies, said the odds wouldn’t rise again and an impact had been ruled out.
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“That’s the outcome we expected all along, although we couldn’t be 100% sure that it would happen,” he said.
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Telescopes will continue to track the asteroid as it moves away, with the Webb Space Telescope hoping to pinpoint its size. Estimates had put it between 40-90 metres wide (130-300ft).
“While this asteroid no longer poses a significant impact hazard to Earth, 2024 YR4 provided an invaluable opportunity” for study, NASA added.
There is a very small chance that 2024 YR4 will “impact the moon” on 22 December 2032. That probability is currently 1.7%.
