NASA rules out 2024 YR4 asteroid impact on Moon in 2032 after James Webb Space Telescope data

Exam-focused facts from the 14 March 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

NASA confirmed asteroid 2024 YR4 will miss the Moon on 22 December 2032, reducing collision risk from 4.3% to zero percent.
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) near-infrared camera provided refined trajectory showing a flyby distance of 13,200 miles.
Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) discovered 2024 YR4 in Chile during late 2024.
Asteroid 2024 YR4 measures roughly 200 feet in diameter, comparable to a 15-story building.
A lunar impact would have excavated a 1.2-mile-wide crater on the Moon's surface.