Asteroid won't hit Moon: NASA confirms after spotting it
Good news: NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has confirmed that asteroid 2024 YR4, once thought to be a risk, won't crash into the Moon in 2032.
The asteroid was first spotted in late 2024 and briefly raised concerns about hitting Earth or the Moon, but updated data quickly ruled out any danger.
How JWST spotted the asteroid
JWST's Near-Infrared Camera managed to snap super-faint images of this tiny space rock in February 2026 (think spotting an almond from as far away as the Moon).
Scientists at Johns Hopkins used these observations and precise star maps to nail down its path after it faded from view following its December 2024 discovery.
Ground-based telescopes won't see YR4 until 2028
Ground-based telescopes won't get another look at YR4 until 2028, several years before its close pass by the Moon in December 2032.
Until then, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) teams are keeping an eye out for any other space surprises.