"Mumbai on Alert as 'City Killer' Asteroid Approaches"

INIndia|

Mumbai is among the major cities being monitored due to the potential threat posed by the asteroid 2024 YR4, which has been dubbed a "city killer." Discovered in December 2024, this asteroid, measuring between 40 and 90 meters in width, currently has a 1.5 percent chance of striking Earth during a close flyby on December 22, 2032, according to NASA and reports from Scientific American. The impact risk corridor suggested by simulations stretches from the eastern Pacific Ocean to South Asia, including densely populated areas like Bogota, Colombia, and Lagos, Nigeria.

Astronomers have emphasized that while the threat level is above the one percent threshold, the likelihood of a collision is expected to decrease significantly in coming months. Bruce Betts, chief scientist for the Planetary Society, indicated that the risk could eventually approach zero, similar to past scenarios such as the asteroid Apophis. NASA is collaborating with international space agencies to further observe the asteroid using the James Webb Space Telescope in March and May of this year.

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