An asteroid could hit the moon in 2032, scattering debris toward Earth

NEW ORLEANS — There’s about a 4 percent chance that a building-sized asteroid will hit the moon in 2032. Moreover, there’s about a 1 percent chance that the asteroid, dubbed 2024 YR4, will not only strike the moon but also scatter a multitude of tiny meteorites into near-Earth space, potentially harming satellites and astronauts.

“This could pose a lot of risks to Earth-orbiting assets,” said NASA aerospace engineer Brent Barbee on December 17 at the American Geophysical Union’s annual meeting.

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