Local experts discuss asteroid that has a chance of hitting earth in 2032

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Scientists have their eye on the sky as an asteroid making its way toward earth that could be the size of a football field has come into view.

The asteroid dubbed "2024 YR4" was first spotted two months ago. Since then, NASA's been closely watching its trail and acknowledges there's a slight chance it could hit earth in seven years.

"Yes, this can be a little unsettling, but this is something we're paying attention to. We don't want to be blindsided of course," said Bob Bonadurer, planetarium director, Milwaukee Public Museum.

This week, NASA predicted Asteroid 2024 YR4 that could be traveling at 10 miles a second, had a 3.1% chance of hitting earth in 2032. On Wednesday, they backed that number off to 1.5%.

"The chance of it hitting right over a big city are small when you, we learn in first grade, right, the earth is seventh tenths water," said Bonadurer.

Along with learning its size, speed and direction, it's important to know what the asteroid's made of because that can affect if it survives the 60 miles of earth's atmosphere.

"This is an iron meteorite very heavy. These are very rare," said Bonadurer.

Bonadurer showed us the two meteorites in the Planetarium's collection.

"So, this one feels heavier. This is the one with iron in it. This is the one that's just like a stone, but this one could break up in the middle of the atmosphere and could really do a lot of damage?" CBS 58's Michele Fiore asked while examining the meteorites at the museum. 

 "Yes," said Bonadurer.

It's important to learn about this one fast, because scientists believe after April, the space rock, estimated at up to 300 feet, will be too faint to see until the year 2028.

"If the rock ends up on the high scale and it hits a major city right in the middle, it could cause massive catastrophic damage for the people in that vicinity, but it's not gonna wipe out a whole city," said Bonadurer.

Two years ago, NASA was able to nudge an asteroid, a promising advance in protecting earth.

"If a big one is destined for earth, hopefully we'll have the technology where we can go up and nudge it and move it so it will not hit planet earth," said Bonadurer.

The last big rock to make it to earth was in Russia in 2013. It blew up before hitting the ground, but there was an aftershock that busted windows in a city and injured thousands.