NASA says that, yes, an asteroid buzzing by in 2023 could hit Earth

NASA estimates that the asteroid measures between 130 feet and 300 feet across. In the unlikely event that it did hit Earth, the asteroid would likely “impact at a high velocity” of roughly 38,000 mph, according to the Center for Near Earth Object Studies at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

A space rock of that size would likely cause local damage, but not threaten the entire planet or humanity, as might be the case if a much larger asteroid was on a collision course with Earth.

The asteroid 2024 YR4 was first detected by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System station in Chile on Dec. 27, 2024. Since then, researchers have been studying the space rock using ground-based telescopes.

NASA said the asteroid will continue to be visible to ground-based observatories through April. After that, the space rock will be too faint to see until around June 2028.

The agency’s James Webb Space Telescope will train its eyes on the asteroid in March to better assess its size, according to NASA.