Asteroid 2024 YR4 Exhibits Hockey-Puck Shape and Originates from Surprising Area

The asteroid designated 2024 YR4 has garnered significant attention from researchers, particularly due to its unique shape and the unexpected region from which it originates. Although concerns about its potential threat to Earth have been alleviated, the scientific community remains intrigued by this near-Earth object.

Using observations from one of the Gemini Observatories, a US research team has successfully created a three-dimensional model of 2024 YR4, revealing that it likely originates from the asteroid belt. This information was confirmed by NOIRLab, the organization that operates the observatories. The asteroid is noted for its rapid rotation, completing a full turn approximately every 20 minutes. While the potential for a collision with the Moon in 2032 cannot be entirely ruled out, such an event would present a unique opportunity to study the relationship between the asteroid's size and the crater it would create.

Discovered shortly after its closest approach to Earth on December 27, 2024, 2024 YR4 was initially classified as the most dangerous asteroid due to the uncertainty surrounding its trajectory. However, follow-up observations conducted over several weeks ultimately determined that it posed no threat to our planet. The possibility of it impacting the Moon remains, but for it to be visible from Earth, several specific conditions must be met.

The recent findings about 2024 YR4 stem from in-depth analyses initiated when the risk of an Earth impact could not be completely dismissed. It has been identified as a silicate-rich S-type asteroid, belonging to the second most common class of asteroids. Researchers propose that gravitational forces from Jupiter may have nudged this asteroid from the inner asteroid belt towards Earth. This is particularly noteworthy, as many near-Earth asteroids are typically believed to originate from this area.

Observations conducted from the southern Gemini Observatory in Chile have revealed that the asteroid's shape resembles that of a hockey puck. This is surprising, as many asteroids tend to take on more irregular forms, such as those resembling potatoes or spinning tops. The research team has estimated the asteroid's size to be between 30 and 65 meters, with the James Webb Space Telescope indicating a size of 60 meters. Should 2024 YR4 collide with the Moon, it would allow scientists to directly observe how the size of the impacting body correlates with the size of the resultant crater. The full study will be published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.