Asteroid 2024 YR4 on Collision Course with Earth: UK Scientist Warns Deflection May Be Too Late

UK researcher Dr Robin George Andrews, a volcanologist warns that it may be too late to stop "city killer" asteroid 2024 YR4 impact, which is heading towards Earth with a one-in-43 chance of hitting Earth by 2032. If it does, based on the location where it will land there could be devastating consequences as the asteroid is nearly as high as it is the Leaning Tower of Pisa. If it does strike the land, it may destroy cities, and if it falls in the ocean, its effects will be less severe.

The discovery was made in December 2024. Asteroid 2024 YR4 is currently ranked third according to the Torino Scale. Nasa confirmed that it was deploying James Webb Space Telescope to provide overservices to the Asteroid. The asteroid will be its brightest during March 2025, when the first round of Nasa observations is scheduled. The next one will occur in May when YR4 is moving further away from Sun. However, this doesn't mean that this method is a guarantee any asteroid could be redirected "whenever we want".

Hitting them just right can produce that debris-like thrust effect, but if you hit them too hard, you'll shatter them," the expert explained.

"Nobody would like for a mistake to "disrupt" one of the planets because the components may go towards Earth. Like I've said before it's like turning a gun into an air gun spray."

The amount of energy released could be as high as 15 megatons TNT, a level of explosive power equivalent to about 100 times the power to cause damage atomic-like with the same effect as the atom bomb that was dropped in 1945, during the drop period of Hiroshima. It's a terrifying reality that vast areas would be devastated by the area in the aftermath of the explosion. You have to be very sure that when you hit a city killer asteroid you are deflecting it, not fragmenting it."