NASA’s Webb Telescope to Investigate Asteroid 2024 YR4 Amid Growing Impact Concerns
NASA’s Webb Telescope to Examine Asteroid 2024 YR4 as Impact Risk Grows
NASA plans to utilize the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to gather critical data on asteroid 2024 YR4, a celestial body with a 2.3% chance of colliding with Earth on December 22, 2032. This figure has risen from an initial estimate of 1.3% within recent weeks. While further observations may revise these calculations, astronomers currently anticipate a near miss.
If an impact were to occur, the predicted trajectory spans the eastern Pacific Ocean, northern South America, the Atlantic Ocean, Africa, the Arabian Sea, and South Asia, according to the International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN). The organization, chaired by NASA, issued an alert about the asteroid on January 29, 2025.
Asteroid 2024 YR4 tops the Sentry list of objects with potential Earth impact risks and has a value of 3 on the Torino Impact Hazard Scale, indicating its proximity and the potential for significant consequences. The asteroid is estimated to measure between 130 and 300 feet (40 and 90 meters) in diameter, but its exact size, density, and composition remain uncertain.
The European Space Agency (ESA) has confirmed that Webb’s MIRI instrument will conduct detailed observations in early March, with follow-up studies scheduled for May. These observations are essential, as 2024 YR4 will soon move beyond the reach of ground-based telescopes and remain hidden from Earth until 2028.
Using Webb’s advanced infrared capabilities, astronomers aim to accurately determine the asteroid’s size and refine trajectory predictions. The telescope will dedicate four hours of “director’s discretionary time” for these urgent observations. By measuring the asteroid’s thermal emissions and reflected sunlight, researchers can derive its physical characteristics.
Astronomers emphasize the importance of extending 2024 YR4’s observation arc, which began with its late-December discovery. The data collected by Webb will complement ground-based studies and provide crucial insights into the asteroid’s potential threat.
2024 YR4 is an Apollo-type near-Earth asteroid that orbits the sun every four years. It last passed Earth on Christmas Day 2024, at a distance of 515,000 miles (828,800 kilometers). It is expected to make its next close approach in December 2028, at a significantly farther distance of 4.7 million miles (7.5 million kilometers).
Given the limitations of ground-based telescopes and the urgency of the situation, the upcoming observations by Webb are vital to accurately assessing the asteroid’s impact risk and refining mitigation strategies.
