- By Prateek Levi
- Fri, 06 Mar 2026 07:13 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Asteroid 2024 YR4 Moon Impact: According to the latest data retrieved from the James Webb Space Telescope, dated February 18 and 26 to be precise, NASA experts from the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California have laid down a new orbital path for the asteroid 2024 YR4 and have come to the conclusion that the said celestial object will not collide with our moon. The observations have eliminated the possibility of a lunar impact which was dated December 22, 2032. The new data suggest that asteroid 2024 YR4 will pass by the moon at a distance of 13,200 miles or 21,200 km.
This new update points towards our improved understanding and precision when it comes to locating celestial objects that might or might not enter familiar or close-by orbits; it also reflects where the asteroid is expected to be in 2032 rather than just a shift in its orbital path. Going by previous observations, the object had a 4.3% chance of hitting our neighbour the moon.
An observation team led by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, used the James Webb Space Telescope to gather two additional observations of asteroid 2024 YR4. The effort relied on Webb’s specialised capabilities, which allow it to detect extremely faint objects in space, as other such tools we have in space or on earth are not as capable as the JWST.
Since the spring of 2025, the asteroid has largely been impossible to observe using Earth-based or other space telescopes. Webb’s advanced instruments made it possible to capture what are believed to be some of the faintest asteroid observations ever recorded.
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About Asteroid 2024 YR4
The celestially flowing object was discovered in late 2024 by the NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) station positioned in Chile. Information about the asteroid in early 2025 indicated a very small but possible chance of the asteroid hitting the earth. Over time as observations were collected through various sources on earth, a conclusion was reached that our planet is not in its orbit and there is no immediate danger from impact on December 22, 2032, or anytime in this century.