Venezuelan scientists dismiss media campaigns about the fall of Asteroid YR4 to Earth

The calculations, in this case, have made it possible to rule out the risk of collision, Villa explained The calculations, in this case, have made it possible to rule out the risk of collision, Villa explained
The calculations, in this case, have made it possible to rule out the risk of collision, Villa explained
AN Press
Con El Mazo Dando 11 años

Published at: 03/04/2025 05:36 PM

Venezuelan scientists dismissed before the National Assembly (AN) that the media campaign related to Asteroid 2024 YR4 does not represent an impact hazard for our planet.

The information was presented during a debate in the Standing Committee on Education, Health, Science, Technology and Innovation of the AN, in order to calm public concern generated by international reports.

Recently, some international agencies had caused concern by pointing out that Asteroid 2024 YR4, discovered in 2024, had a high probability of hitting Earth in the year 2032. This information momentarily placed him on lists of space objects for priority monitoring.

To address this concern, representatives of the Ministry of Popular Power for Science and Technology participated in the debate at the AN, in which Deputy Minister Danmarys Hernández and Dr. Normar Villa, president of the “Francisco J. Duarte” Astronomy Research Center Foundation (CIDA), the institution responsible for astronomical research in Venezuela, participated.

Villa explained to the deputies how scientists track and calculate asteroid routes and noted that although at first there could be an estimate of the probability of impact for 2024 YR4, this has decreased significantly as more data has been collected.

“The more data we have about a certain phenomenon, the better we can make predictions,” he said. He also added that with more observations over time, the calculations become much more precise, and in this case, they have made it possible to rule out the risk of collision.

Villa highlighted that there are many near-Earth objects and that Venezuela, through MINCYT and CIDA (located in Mérida), plays an active role in monitoring and recalculating the orbits of these celestial bodies.

He stressed that all the studies carried out by CIDA are shared with the “Minor Planet Center”, the international entity that centralizes and processes this information worldwide.

The presentation of these scientific data served to clarify the commission's doubts and reaffirm that, according to current calculations, Asteroid 2024 YR4 does not pose a threat to the Earth. The importance of CIDA's continuous work in national and international astronomical research was highlighted.

Mazo News Team