Home
Science
Science News
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Confirms Asteroid 2024 YR4 Will Not Strike the Moon

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Confirms Asteroid 2024 YR4 Will Not Strike the Moon

New observations from the James Webb Space Telescope confirm asteroid 2024 YR4 will not strike the Moon in 2032. NASA scientists refined the object’s orbit using infrared data, showing it will pass about 21,200 km from the lunar surface.

Written by Gadgets 360 Staff | Updated: 6 March 2026 15:15 IST

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Confirms Asteroid 2024 YR4 Will Not Strike the Moon

Photo Credit: NASA

Webb data refines asteroid 2024 YR4’s path, ruling out a lunar impact in 2032.

Click Here to Add Gadgets360 As A Trusted Source

Highlights

Webb observations eliminate lunar impact risk from asteroid 2024 YR4
Asteroid will pass safely 21,200 km above the Moon in 2032 flyby
Planetary defence relies on early detection and global tracking

NASA confirmed that new observations using the James Webb Space Telescope eliminated the possibility of asteroid 2024 YR4 impacting the Moon on 22 December 2032. Based on this new data, the asteroid is said to safely fly past the Moon at a distance of 21,200 km from the lunar surface. NASA's planetary defence experts note that this new information is based on improved precision in the asteroid's orbit, rather than a change in the asteroid's path, with the original 4.3 percent impact probability now being zero.

Webb observations refine asteroid's orbit

According to NASA, the Johns Hopkins APL team used the Webb Telescope on the 18th and 26th of February, 2026, to obtain two vital observations of the asteroid 2024 YR4. The asteroid has been too faint for other telescopes to detect, but the Webb Telescope's infrared technology detected the asteroid among the “faintest ever” observed for an asteroid. Using the data, NASA scientists were able to refine the asteroid's orbit.

The asteroid, 2024 YR4, was initially detected by the ATLAS survey in late 2024, with a “small, but notable” risk of impacting Earth, although global tracking has eliminated the threat of impact in 2032 or any other future time.

ISS Crew Prepares to Send Japan’s HTV-X1 Cargo Spacecraft Back to Earth After Four Months

Asteroid threat assessment and planetary defence

To assess the threats, international collaboration is necessary, along with constant sharing of data. The data obtained from survey telescopes around the globe are used by NASA, with centres like JPL using CNEOS to calculate the probability of a potential impact. If a potential threat is identified, NASA's Planetary Defence Coordination Office (PDCO) notifies all international partners via the Asteroid Warning Network. Long-term measures to defend against asteroids involve surveys, such as the NEO Surveyor, and deflection tests, like DART. Nevertheless, the primary line of defence is detection.

Comments

For details of the latest launches and news from Samsung, Xiaomi, Realme, OnePlus, Oppo and other companies at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, visit our MWC 2026 hub.

Further reading: JWST, NASA, James Webb Space Telescope, Space, moon, Science