NASA: These are the countries that the most dangerous asteroid could hit in 2032

To recall, scientists discovered that the probability percentage jumped from 1.2 to 2.2, while the International Astronomical Union (IAU) declared the asteroid "level 3" on the Turin hazard scale, which makes it the only one whose level is above zero.

"Percentage will vary"

It was estimated that YR4 would release the energy of several million tons of TNT, and the impact would be 150 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, according to the Telegraph.

Although the calculations look alarming, astronomer and professor of planetary sciences Richard Binzel, Professor of Planetary Sciences of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, believes that there is no reason to worry.

"We can expect that the probability percentage will vary. This is simply how scientific data measurements take place," he said.

Potential impact hazard

Other experts point out that a 2.3 percent hazard of an impact means there is also a 97.9 percent chance that YR4 will miss Earth completely.

And while sophisticated technology closely monitors the movement of the most dangerous asteroid, David Rankin, a NASA engineer on the Catalina Sky Survey Project, spoke out, presenting a projection of potentially endangered areas.

If YR4 does not miss our planet, it would be in the belt from the north of South America across the Pacific Ocean to South Asia, the Arabian Sea and Africa.

In other words, countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Sudan, Nigeria, Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador would be in potential danger, reports Yahoo.com.

NASA explains that continued observations of the asteroid's orbit will improve understanding of its "impact probability." The possibility of removing YR4 from the list of dangerous asteroids is also mentioned, as was the case with other "space rocks" in the past.

When the asteroid approaches us in 2032, it will be about 106,000 kilometers from Earth, which gives plenty of room to avoid the worst-case scenario, experts point out.

YR4 is estimated to be up to 90 meters wide. Such "space rocks" hit our planet on average once every few thousand years, they can cause significant damage, but not destruction like in the age of dinosaurs, it is stated.