{"id":154559,"date":"2025-02-06T19:49:10","date_gmt":"2025-02-06T14:19:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=current-affairs&#038;p=154559"},"modified":"2025-02-06T19:49:10","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T14:19:10","slug":"asteroid-2024-yr4","status":"publish","type":"current-affairs","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/asteroid-2024-yr4","title":{"rendered":"Asteroid 2024 YR4 may hit Earth in 2032"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A newly detected asteroid <\/span><b>2024 YR4<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 has <\/span><b>slightly more than 1% chance <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of colliding with Earth in about eight years.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>What is the newly discovered asteroid 2024 YR4?<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-154518 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/61-67a4b44b5155f.webp\" alt=\"Asteroid 2024 YR4\" width=\"354\" height=\"235\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/61-67a4b44b5155f.webp 507w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/61-67a4b44b5155f-300x199.webp 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 354px) 100vw, 354px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Near-Earth asteroid <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2024 YR4 was discovered in December 2024 at the <\/span><b>Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) telescope<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in <\/span><b>R\u00edo Hurtado, Chile.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Size and Impact Potential: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is as big as a football field, measuring <\/span><b>40 to 100 metres across.\u00a0<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An asteroid this size impacts Earth on <\/span><b>average every few thousand years <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and could cause severe damage to a local region.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Risk Assessment: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Asteroid 2024 YR4 is now rated at <\/span><b>Level 3<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on the<\/span><b> Torino Impact Hazard Scale, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0a close encounter that warrants attention from astronomers and the public.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enroll now for UPSC Online Course<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Asteroids<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Asteroids are <\/span><b>ancient space rocks <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">left over from the<\/span><b> formation of the Solar System.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They are thought to have brought<\/span><b> complex molecules, and possibly early life, to Earth billions of years ago.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most asteroids are found in the <\/span><b>asteroid belt<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a region between the orbits of <\/span><b>Mars<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>Jupiter<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, though some travel closer to Earth.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"vc_table_green\"><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 99.6975%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\">\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Comets<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Comets are small icy dirtballs that orbit the Sun. (Comets are made of ice and dust while asteroids are made of rock).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Meteor<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A meteor is a<\/span><b> space rock\u2014or meteoroid<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014that <\/span><b>enters Earth&#8217;s atmosphere,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as it \u2013 burns up upon entering Earth\u2019s atmosphere, creating a <\/span><b>streak of light in the sky (often called &#8220;shooting stars&#8221;).<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> When Earth encounters many meteoroids at once, we call it a<\/span><b> meteor shower.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Meteorite<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If a <\/span><b>meteoroid survives its trip through Earth\u2019s atmosphere <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and<\/span><b> lands on the Earth\u2019s surface<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, it is called a <\/span><b>meteorite.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\"><b>Difference between an asteroid and a comet:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The main difference between asteroids and comets is their composition, as in, what they are made of.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Asteroids are made up of metals and rocky material,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> while <\/span><b>comets are made up of ice, dust and rocky material.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both asteroids and comets were formed early in the history of the solar system about 4.5 billion years ago.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Asteroids formed much closer to the Sun, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">where it was too warm for ice to remain solid.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Comets formed farther from the Sun <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">where ice would not melt.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><\/div>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Why Are Asteroids Important?<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Clues to Solar System Formation: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They are considered time capsules, preserving materials from the early solar system.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Potential Resources:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Some asteroids are thought to contain valuable resources like metals and water, which could be mined in the future.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Hazard to Earth:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Some asteroids have orbits that bring them close to Earth, and while impacts are rare, they could cause significant damage if they collide with our planet.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books\/upsc-modules?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+Modules\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out UPSC Modules From PW Store<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>How Often Do Asteroids Crash into Earth?<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thousands of asteroids enter Earth&#8217;s atmosphere every day but most are small and burn up due to atmospheric friction.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Massive asteroids<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (over 1 km in diameter) are rare but can cause global disasters.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Example: Chicxulub asteroid (66 million years ago) <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">wiped out the dinosaurs and 75% of life on Earth.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even some smaller asteroids (around 40 meters wide) can cause significant destruction.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Example: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The<\/span><b> Chelyabinsk asteroid (2013),<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> exploded over Russia, injuring 1,500 people and damaging thousands of buildings.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The impact of a 40-meter asteroid could flatten an entire city, depending on speed and entry angle.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>How Do Space Agencies Plan to Avert Asteroid Crashes?<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Space agencies like NASA are actively developing planetary defense mechanisms to prevent asteroids from colliding with Earth and causing potential disasters.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-154519 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/62-67a4b44b09070.webp\" alt=\"Asteroid 2024 YR4\" width=\"355\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/62-67a4b44b09070.webp 713w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/62-67a4b44b09070-300x169.webp 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 355px) 100vw, 355px\" \/><b>The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART):<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the most significant planetary defense missions was DART, a joint project by NASA and the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was the<\/span><b> first-ever planetary defense test conducted by NASA.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2022, the<\/span><b> DART<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> spacecraft deliberately crashed into an <\/span><b>asteroid named Dimorphos.\u00a0<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This impact successfully altered its shape and trajectory, proving that space agencies can redirect an asteroid\u2019s path.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Other proposed solutions:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Laser-based deflection<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by vaporizing part of the asteroid to create thrust.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Gravity tractor<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a spacecraft that uses gravity to slowly pull the asteroid off course.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"vc_table_green\"><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 99.5971%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\">\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Torino Impact Hazard Scale<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Torino Scale, adopted by the <\/span><b>International Astronomical Union IAU in 1999<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, is a tool for <\/span><b>categorizing potential Earth impact events.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An integer scale ranging from<\/span><b> 0 to 10<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with associated color coding, it is intended primarily to <\/span><b>facilitate public communication<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by the<\/span><b> asteroid impact hazard monitoring community.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The scale captures the<\/span><b> likelihood and consequences of a potential impact event<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but does not consider the time remaining until the potential impact.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>More extraordinary events are indicated by a higher Torino Scale value.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-154520\" src=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/63-67a4b449b1d43.webp\" alt=\"Asteroid 2024 YR4\" width=\"605\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/63-67a4b449b1d43.webp 876w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/63-67a4b449b1d43-300x212.webp 300w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/63-67a4b449b1d43-768x542.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><\/div>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS)<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ATLAS is an asteroid impact early warning system developed by the University of Hawaii and funded by NASA.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It consists of four telescopes (Hawaii \u00d72, Chile, South Africa), which automatically scan the whole sky several times every night looking for moving objects.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ATLAS can provide a warning time depending on the size of the asteroid &#8212; larger asteroids can be detected further from Earth.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc\/pw-only-ias?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enroll now for UPSC Online Classes<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>The International Asteroid Warning Network<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">IAWN, chaired by NASA, is responsible for coordinating the international group of organisations involved in asteroid tracking and characterisation.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If appropriate, IAWN would develop a strategy to assist world governments in the analysis of asteroid impact consequences and in the planning of any necessary mitigation responses.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><i>Ready to boost your UPSC 2025 preparation?<\/i><\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b><i>Join PW&#8217;s UPSC online courses<\/i><\/b><\/a><b><i> today!<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<div class=\"vc_table_green\"><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 99.6375%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 111.19%; text-align: center;\" colspan=\"2\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Also Read<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 49.797%; text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/editorial-analysis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>UPSC Daily Editorials<\/b><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 61.393%; text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/daily-current-affairs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>UPSC Daily Current Affairs<\/b><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td 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years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":154531,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"paper-wise":[2089],"subject":[2092],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/154559"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/current-affairs"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=154559"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/154559\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":154563,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/154559\/revisions\/154563"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/154531"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=154559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=154559"},{"taxonomy":"paper-wise","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/paper-wise?post=154559"},{"taxonomy":"subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/subject?post=154559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}