Why in News?
NASA has confirmed that asteroid 2024 YR4 will not collide with the Moon in 2032, ruling out earlier concerns — a space science development often analysed in UPSC coaching in Hyderabad while studying planetary defence and near-Earth objects.
About Asteroid 2024 YR4
• Type: Apollo class asteroid – its orbit crosses Earth’s path but mostly lies beyond it.
• Origin: Likely from a stony asteroid family in the central Main Belt between Mars and Jupiter.
• Discovery: Found in December 2024 by the ATLAS telescope in Chile.
• “Y” in the name → discovered in the second half of December.
• “R4” → 117th asteroid identified in that period.
Features
• Near Earth asteroid (NEO).
• Size: Approximately 174–220 feet (53–67 meters) in diameter.
• Orbital Period: 4.011 years (1,468 days).
• Rotation Period: 19.46 minutes.
• Composition: Most likely S-type asteroid, composed mainly of silicate rocks with nickel-iron metals — concepts frequently discussed in IAS coaching in Hyderabad while studying astronomy and space science.
Significance
• Demonstrates the importance of tracking Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) for planetary defence.
• Confirms that advanced monitoring systems like ATLAS can detect and assess potential threats early.
• Adds to scientific understanding of asteroid families and their orbital movement patterns.
Conclusion
Asteroid 2024 YR4 is a near-Earth Apollo-type asteroid with no threat of collision in 2032. Its discovery and study highlight the role of space monitoring systems in ensuring planetary safety and expanding knowledge of celestial bodies, topics often discussed in UPSC online coaching and civils coaching in Hyderabad while preparing science and technology current affairs for the UPSC examination.
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