Astronomers only just discovered asteroid 2024 YR4 late last year, but it has already become the most hotly observed solar system traveler. That’s because it was initially believed it would have a high probability of colliding with our planet and was nicknamed “City Killer” and they have now traced its origins to an unexpected place.
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00:00Astronomers only just discovered asteroid 2024 YR4 late last year, but it has already
00:09become the most hotly observed solar system traveler.
00:12That's because it was initially believed it would have a high probability of colliding
00:15with our planet, and was aptly nicknamed City Killer.
00:19Those odds have now been significantly reduced, with a much higher probability, a 3.8% chance
00:24to be exact, of it hitting the moon instead.
00:26Now, after constant observations, experts believe they may have traced the asteroids'
00:30origins to an unexpected place.
00:33They say it came from here, what's called the main asteroid belt, the area between Mars
00:37and Jupiter where most of the solar system's rocky orbiters orbit.
00:40So why is it a surprise that an asteroid came from an area of our system where most asteroids
00:45reside?
00:46Well, it was ejected from that zone by a gravitational interaction with Jupiter, the same gravitational
00:50interaction that normally keeps things where they are.
00:52This is largely due to Jupiter's mass, and its ability to draw things towards it.
00:56It's a wild occurrence that could prove insightful for astrophysicists, especially if it collides
01:01with the moon.
01:02Experts say the asteroid is between 98 and 213 feet in diameter, and is oddly flat in shape.