Telescope Captures “City Killer” Asteroid. Know All Details

A newly discovered asteroid known as “city-killer” has reached the top of NASA's impact risk list after reports suggested that it can strike Earth in 2032. Gemini South Telescope in Chile had a detailed look at YR4 2024, measuring 131 and 295 feet wide, approximately the size of the building, which is large enough to make a devastating consequence. The asteroid has a collision probability of 1 in 48.

Describing the discovery as a concern and an opportunity, NASA astronomer Bryce Bolin said, “Only a few asteroids have been studied like this," he told Space.com. “We took 12 200-second long exposures in the Red band and tracked the motion of the asteroid to obtain these images.”

At the time of observation, YR4 is approximately 59 million Km from Earth for which the team had to face several challenges. Interestingly, scientists had to use a massive Gemini South telescope in Chile to spot the asteroid as it turned out to be faint.

Bolin said that the asteroid is moving quickly at 0.26 arcseconds per minute, which in turn requires careful tracking. He said, “extremely exciting... for the scientific potential of studying such a small asteroid in high detail.”

Notably, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is set to assist in the observation of YR4. With its advanced infrared instruments, Webb will assist astronomers to accurately measure the size of the asteroid and assess the potential impact damage if it were to collide with Earth.