Nasa has confirmed a “city killer” asteroid, once thought to be on a potential collision course with the Earth, now has a zero chance of crashing into the moon in 2032.
The space agency had been predicting a 4.3 per cent chance of a direct hit before issuing a welcome all-clear on Thursday.
Observations by the Webb Space Telescope in February helped scientists refine asteroid 2024 YR4’s orbit.
This new information indicates that the asteroid will miss the moon by 13,200 miles (21,200 kilometres) on December 22, 2032.
Discovered at the end of 2024, the asteroid at first looked like it might threaten Earth.
Scientists last year ruled out a collision with our planet anytime in the next century, but kept the moon as a possible target. The asteroid is about 200 feet (60 meters) across.
