The American NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) are actively tracking the movement of asteroid YR4, dubbed the \u201ccity killer,\u201d after assessing that the chances of it hitting Earth have doubled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Scientists revealed that the probability has increased from 1.2% to 2.2%, while the International Astronomical Union (IAU) has classified the asteroid as \u201clevel 3\u201d on the Torino Scale of danger, making it the only one above level zero.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is estimated that YR4 would release energy equivalent to several million tons of TNT, making the impact 150 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, reports Telegraf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although these calculations seem alarming, astronomer and professor of planetary science Richard Binzel from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology believes there is no cause for concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe can expect the probability percentage to fluctuate. This is simply how scientific data measurements unfold,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other experts emphasize that a 2.3% chance of impact also means a 97.9% chance that YR4 will completely miss Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While sophisticated technology closely monitors the movement of this dangerous asteroid, NASA engineer David Rankin from the Catalina Sky Survey Project has presented a projection of potentially affected areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If YR4 does not miss our planet, it would be in a zone stretching from northern South America across the Pacific Ocean to Africa, the Arabian Sea, and South Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In other words, countries potentially at risk include Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador, as well as Nigeria, Sudan, and Ethiopia, extending to Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh, reports Yahoo.com.<\/p>\n\n\n\n