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An asteroid has a 2% chance of hitting Earth in 2032. Here’s how astronomers are tracking it | CNN

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Asteroid 2024 YR4 has on average a 2% chance of hitting Earth in 2032 .

The space rock is estimated to be 131 to 295 feet ( 40 to 90 meters ) wide.

The James Webb Space Telescope is slated to begin observations of the asteroid in early March .

The telescope will be able to measure the heat reflected by the asteroid’s surface.

Asteroids of this size impact Earth every few thousand years, and they can cause severe damage to local regions.

The potential for damage arises because of the incredibly high speed ( about 17 kilometers per second, or 38,028 miles per hour ) at which the asteroid would enter the atmosphere.

About 3,000 new near- Earth objects are found each year because they’re dark, smaller and harder to spot with telescopes.