It is approaching Earth very quickly, science is "anxious" about the asteroid, the 8 most endangered cities are revealed

Fears that an asteroid could hit Earth in 2032 are growing, with NASA confirming that the chances of "2024 YR4" colliding with our planet are 2.3%.

The path that the asteroid the size of Big Ben is expected to take will see it pass over some of the world's most populous cities, according to the latest data from NASA.

Asteroid 2024 YR4 currently has a 2.3 percent chance of hitting Earth on December 22, 2032, making it the biggest threat coming from space in more than two decades.

Scientists have calculated that its danger corridor extends eastward from the Pacific Ocean, over South America, the Atlantic Ocean, Africa, the Middle East and into Asia.

This trajectory takes it over 8 of the 100 most populous cities in the world: Bogotá, Abidjan, Lagos, Khartoum, Mumbai, Kolkata and Dhaka.

The urban areas of these cities alone have a combined population of more than 110 million, with the destructive potential of asteroid "2024 YR4" equivalent to 8 million tons of dynamite, approximately 500 times greater than the power of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, writes the Independent.

NASA has already successfully tested technologies to deflect asteroids, most notably during its DART mission in 2022, which redirected an asteroid twice the size of "2024 YR4."

Another asteroid redirection test undertaken by China will take place in 2027 on a smaller asteroid.

Other space agencies are also working on emergency measures for the asteroid, with two UN-approved response groups already working to narrow its trajectory and prepare any necessary interventions.

Ground-based observations of the asteroid will continue while it is still visible from Earth until April, before it disappears, to reappear in June 2028.

NASA is also training the largest telescope ever made, in an effort to better understand its trajectory, size and composition.

"NASA's James Webb Space Telescope will observe the asteroid in March 2025," wrote Moly Wasser from the US space agency in a post earlier this month.

"As more observations of the asteroid's orbit are obtained, the probability of its impact will become better known. It is possible that asteroid '2024 YR4' will be ruled out as a collision hazard, as has been the case with many other objects that have previously appeared on NASA's asteroid hazard list. It is also possible that its impact probability will continue to increase," he added.