Asteroid YR4 2024 is a near-Earth asteroid discovered in December 2024. It is an Apollo-type asteroid, which means it orbits the sun in an elliptical orbit that intersects the Earth's orbit.  It made news earlier this year when the probability of YR4 hitting the Earth was raised to 3.1% in February 2025, warranting nations to take note.

Asteroids bring an image of shooting stars streaking across the sky. But did you know, they were the reason behind one of the biggest mass extinction events in the history of life? Often harmless, asteroids have been striking the earth for millions of years and there are still millions out there, wandering in outer space. On the occasion of International Asteroid Day, let us learn about these incredible space rocks and why it is important to track and study them.