'City-killer' asteroid might hit Earth, say scientists

It may sound apocalyptic, but a newly detected asteroid nearly the size of a football field now has a greater than one percent chance of colliding with Earth in about eight years, say scientists.

Such an impact has the potential for city-level devastation, depending on where it strikes.

Scientists are not panicking yet, but they are watching closely.

Dubbed 2024 YR4, the asteroid was first spotted on December 27 last year, by the El Sauce Observatory in Chile. Based on its brightness, astronomers estimate it is between 40 to 90 meters wide.

According to the latest calculations from US space agency NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, there is a 1.6 percent chance the asteroid will strike Earth on December 22, 2032.

If it does hit, possible impact sites include over the eastern Pacific Ocean, northern South America, the Atlantic Ocean, Africa, the Arabian Sea, and South Asia, the lab said.

The good news, experts stress, is that we have plenty of time to prepare.

"Nobody should be scared about this," said experts. "We can find these things, make these predictions and have the ability to plan."

The most infamous asteroid impact occurred 66 million years ago, when a 10-kilometer-wide space rock triggered a global winter, wiping out the dinosaurs and 75 percent of all species. By contrast, 2024 YR4 falls into the "city killer" category.

Agence France-Presse