Just when we were getting used to the idea that it would be a while before our planet’s subsequent close encounter with a dangerously sized space rock, an asteroid spotted by scientists on Monday is scheduled for a breathtakingly close flyby this Friday. The massive cosmic visitor, designated 2024 BR4, will be moving at nearly the speed of light when it whizzes past our planet at less than twelve times the distance to the Moon.
Measuring between 140 and 310 meters in diameter, roughly the size of a skyscraper, this asteroid is not to be trifled with. It would cause catastrophic regional destruction were it to hit our homeworld, and it is the sort of asteroid that specialist planetary defense systems should defend.
It’s not just a matter of destroying the asteroid, though; where it hits is also essential. If it were to hit the oceans, the impact would be incredibly destructive, but if it hit land, it could wreak even more damage. Fortunately, there is very little chance of a collision, based on NASA’s diligent monitoring of 33,000 potentially risky near-Earth objects.
This asteroid ranks just one on the IAU’s Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA) scale, which goes from 0 to 10, with 10 indicating a very high threat of a significant impact. The agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has determined that, even if 2024 BR4 were to collide with us, it would not have the same impact as the space rock that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago.
The asteroid will be the closest it has ever been to our homeworld, but its trajectory would not bring it back into such proximity. According to estimates, it is expected to pass by again in October, although the chances of it hitting our planet are much lower than 1 in 11 million.
NASA did not discover this asteroid; instead, it was spotted by the Catalina Sky Survey on January 30 and is being tracked by astronomers worldwide. It is common for amateur astronomers to discover such objects, which are usually only spotted because of their brightness as they move through dark space.
The space rock’s passing will be captured by several observatories, including the Great Asteroid Telescope at Lowell Observatory in Arizona, which will livestream the event. It is also being monitored by the IAU’s International Asteroid Warning Network and ESA’s Space Mission Planning Advisory Group, which help nations plan reactive space missions to deflect or destroy NEOs. In the case of a collision, IAWN and SMPAG will be able to coordinate global responses and coordinate with the relevant governmental bodies.
