00:00Breaking News! A newly discovered asteroid has triggered a global defense plan for the first time in history.
00:06Could it actually collide with Earth in 2032?
00:09Meet Asteroid 2024-YR4, a 100-meter-wide space rock,
00:15first spotted by an automated telescope in Chile on December 27, 2024.
00:21Since then, it's risen to the top of impact risk lists maintained by NASA and the European Space Agency.
00:28The chance of impact? 1.3%.
00:31That may sound small, but it's big enough to grab scientists' full attention.
00:35It's ranked 3 on the Torino scale, meaning a collision could cause localized destruction.
00:41Only one asteroid ever ranked higher, Apophis, back in 2004.
00:46At first, it seemed like a serious threat.
00:49But later, calculations ruled out any impact for the next century.
00:53Could 2024-YR4 follow the same path?
00:57Right now, two United Nations-endorsed groups are tracking the asteroid.
01:02The International Asteroid Warning Network is gathering more data.
01:06The Space Mission Planning Advisory Group is considering options,
01:09including deflecting the asteroid with a spacecraft, just like NASA's DART mission.
01:14A collision in 2032 is still highly unlikely, but the next few months are crucial.
01:20If new data doesn't rule out impact, this asteroid will stay on the risk list until 2028,
01:25the next time it comes close enough to observe.
01:28Will scientists find a way to eliminate the risk?
01:31Or will 2024-YR4 continue to keep the world on edge?
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