Near Earth asteroid has astronomers’ full attention

 Washington Post - On Wednesday, an unprecedented memo from the International Asteroid Warning Network reached the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and from there winged across the planet to government officials. The memo said “Asteroid 2024 YR4,” first detected in late December after it came out of the sun’s glare and passed by the Earth, might hit our planet on Dec. 22, 2032.  More

The likelihood of impact was very low, just 1.3 percent. But that probability, combined with the estimated size of the rock — possibly big enough to cover a football field from goal line to goal line — was unusual enough to trigger for the first time the international warning system established in 2013.

Astronomers are making further observations and refining calculations for future orbits of Asteroid 2024 YR4. By Friday, the impact probability edged upward to 1.6 percent.