Asteroid 2024 yr4: Was discovered on December 27

Asteroid 2024 YR4 was discovered on December 27, 2024, by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) telescope in Chile. The Y in the asteroid’s name indicates that it was discovered in the last half of December, and the R4 indicates that it was the 117th asteroid found in that period. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has identified a near-Earth Asteroid 2024 YR4 , which has a slightly over 1% chance of impacting Earth in 2032. NASA has intensified its study of nuclear disruption strategies to avert a potential lunar impact by asteroid 2024 YR4 , a 60-metre object projected to pass near the Moon in 2032. This image shows Webb’s recent observation of the asteroid 2024 YR4 using both its NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument). Data from NIRCam shows reflected light, while the MIRI observations show thermal light.