Asteroid hurling towards earth looks more dangerous by the minute

An asteroid hurling towards earth has clocked up a 3.1 percent chance of hitting the planet on December 22, 2032. 

YR4 2024 now has the highest chance of hitting the earth among all space rocks studied by humans. At 3.1 percent, the chance of a collision appears to be quite tiny, however the probability is growing the more scientists study the asteroid. 

As yet, scientists are unsure about what the rock is made up of or how big it is. Current estimates place it between 130 and 300 feet long. 

If seven years from now, YR4 does manage to enter the earth's atmosphere, it could probably hit an ocean, a prospect that scientists say is better than the asteroid hitting land. However, at its current pace and trajectory, the asteroid could potentially hit a major city, with Mumbai, Lagos and Bogota falling in its current path. 

If the asteroid hits the ocean, its damage could possibly be limited to a tsunami, and not a very big one at that. However, if it hits land, it could prove catastrophic for the region. 

Mark Boslough, a physicist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, has told the media that it would be much worse if YR4 hits solid ground. “The asteroid would create an enormous explosion,” he said, adding that it would likely leave a massive crater. It also could create a “hot jet of asteroid vapor that would descend to the surface and incinerate everything” nearby.

More about its potential impact will be known when we find out what its made of. 

However, there's not much need to panic right now as everything could change in seven years. Astronomers once predicted an asteroid much bigger than YR4 had a 2.7 percent chance of hitting Earth. Then those odds went down to zero.