Astronomers have gotten a glimpse of the “city-killer” asteroid before it disappears until 2028, according to NASA.
The space rock, called 2024 YR4, was previously given up to a 3.1% chance of striking Earth in December 2032, but astronomers have since eliminated the possibility of a strike at that time based on further observations.
Astronomers are watching 2024 YR4 closely, trying to learn everything they can before it disappears from view by mid-April, Kelly Fast, a planetary defense officer at NASA, told ABC News earlier this year.
New infrared observations indicate that the asteroid measures between 174 feet and 220 feet in diameter — about the size of the 10-story building, according to NASA. While it is not forecast to strike Earth in 2032, the asteroid now has a 1.7% probability of hitting the moon at that time, the space agency said.
The space rock was first discovered on Dec. 27 by astronomers monitoring the ATLAS telescope at the University of Hawaii, Fast said.
The asteroid has been dubbed a “city-killer” due to its size and potential to cause major destruction. It is large enough to cause localized damage were it to strike a populated city, Fast said.
NASA has been tasked by Congress with locating asteroids larger than 450 feet in length, which are large enough to do “regional” damage in the event of a strike, Fast said.
The asteroid currently has a 1.1% chance of striking Earth on Dec. 22, 2047, according to NASA.
More than a 2% chance of an asteroid strike is “uncommon,” Davide Farnocchia, a navigation engineer with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, told ABC News in February.
But astronomers will continue to monitor the asteroid closely.
“We don’t want to take any chances,” Farnocchia said.