**Asteroid 2024 YR4: Possibility of Being on Collision Course by 2032**
Recently discovered, an asteroid has been able to draw most of the attention and terrors of both scientists and laymen. Tracked by a team of researchers at King's College London, this newly identified, though of small size, has a prospect big enough to collide with Earth on December 22, 2032.
### Threat Level Gadgetry
It was discovered that King's College London has an astroparticle physicist and cosmologist in the name of Dr. Shyam Balaji. Dr. Balaji has further added light about this asteroid regarding the orbit as well as risks if any to come. 2024 YR4 at this moment poses a less than a 2% chance for impacting, meaning its Torino Scale is level 3. NEOs ranked in the Torino Scale regarding likelihood of impacting along with consequences the asteroid poses, it will put a threat from astronomers rather than society in general.
For the most part, the asteroids that seemed to threaten have little chance of hitting Earth based on follow-up observational data acquired. According to Dr. Balaji, the uncertainties are still there, and continued observation would go a long way in further refining the path of the asteroid.
### Observations Challenges
One of the biggest issues to observe 2024 YR4 is a short observation window. After the asteroid becomes very faint in late April 2025, there will not be another view for 2028. Such long gaps make observing difficult for astronomers, and this is why there is an extreme need to record as much as possible in terms of data collected before it crosses the point at which telescopes can see no more.
NASA, along with the European Space Agency, is keenly tracking 2024 YR4. The agency monitors its trajectory closely to determine whether the impact risk will continue going down with time. According to historical data, scientists predict it is more likely that the danger will reduce to zero than the other way round.
### Deflection Methods Considered
The following is the list of mitigation strategies if observations in the future prove 2024 YR4 to be in a collision course with Earth as well.
Dr. Balaji enumerated potential deflection methods:
Kinetic Impactors : These are similar to NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission. The spacecraft could collide with the asteroid to change its orbital path.
- **Gravity Tractors:** A spacecraft might slowly pull the asteroid off course by exerting a small but continuous gravitational influence.
- **Nuclear Deflection:** If all else failed, a nuclear explosion could push the asteroid out of Earth's orbit, but this method is still controversial and would require international cooperation.
The Bigger Picture: Tracking Near-Earth Objects
Asteroid 2024 YR4 is among the over 33,000 near-Earth objects discovered and monitored since 1990. Most of them do not pose any immediate danger, but astronomers continue to monitor these celestial bodies, just in case. Further investment in space observation technologies and initiatives for planetary defense will be needed to keep Earth safe from asteroids.
Experts ask the public not to panic at least for now because ongoing observations are likely to fine-tune 2024 YR4's trajectory and reduce the impact risk even further. The next few years will determine whether this asteroid is going to remain just a curiosity or call for global action.
