NASA has updated the odds of a devastating asteroid striking Earth, saying it is now greater than the odds of winning a game of roulette.
According to data from NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies, the chances of an asteroid that is projected to pass near Earth in 2032 actually colliding with the planet has been upped to 3.1%, as reported by Live Science.
That is about a one in 32 chance. For comparison, the chance of winning American roulette is about one in 38, or about a 2.7% chance, according to Poker News.
Asteroid 2024 YR4 was discovered by scientists in December 2024. At the time, they believed that the barreling object only had a 1.2% chance of crashing into Earth. On February 7, they upped those chances to 2.3%, before later upping the chances again to 2.6%.
The asteroid is believed to be about 130 to nearly 300 feet wide, and could possibly have the capability to destroy a city thanks to the amount of energy it carries, New Scientist reported.
Experts have encouraged the public not to panic as the likelihood of the asteroid missing Earth is still overwhelmingly positive. There is also a chance that NASA could reduce its chance of impact back down to zero as more data becomes available.
Originally published on Latin Times
