Asteroid 2024 YR4 has popped up on the news again, offering both peril and opportunities,

A few months ago, NASA noted that 2024 YR4 had a 3.1 percent chance of hitting the Earth in 2032. Since the rock is 50 to 90 meters in diameter, if it were to hit the Earth, it would cause an explosion equivalent to a nuclear bomb with the accompanying devastation.

Subsequently, NASA dialed down the threat 2024 YR4 posed to the Earth and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Now, the Earth approaching asteroid has a new target. A small chance exists that it will hit the moon in 2032. The prospect presents new dangers, though not as great as the destruction of a city.

According to ZME Science, new data from the James Webb Space Telescope, 2024 YR4 has a 4.3 percent chance of hitting the moon on December 22, 2032. “If 2024 YR4 hits, it will create a blast equivalent to 6.5 million tons of TNT. The resulting crater would stretch about a kilometer across — bigger than almost any the Moon has seen in the last 5,000 years.”

Depending on whether the asteroid hits the near side of the moon —a........

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