NASA astronomers closely monitor the asteroid of 2024 YR4, which is called the " The probability of his collision with our planet in 2032 continues to grow.

Asteroid is 60 meters wide and about the same size as a statue of freedom or Big-Ben, now has 2.3% of the chances of encountering the ground. The space agency was enlisted by the help of the James Webb telescope to study YR4 and evaluate what damage he caused when hit, Metro writes.

Based on current calculations, the YR4 blow can be approximately equivalent to the blow of the Tunguska asteroid, which compared 2150 square kilometers of the Siberian forest in 1908. However, the first assessments of the size of the asteroid may turn out to be incorrect.

Currently, scientists predict the sizes of asteroids using powerful telescopes for measuring light reflected from their surface. In general, the larger the asteroid, the brighter it will look, but this is not always the case.

The exact size of the celestial bodies may be unclear, since all terrestrial telescopes have to fight the earth's atmosphere, which distorts and distorts the light passing through it.

To overcome this, astronomers are preparing to use the James Webb telescope-the largest and most powerful of the ever-created telescopes, which was launched into space in 2021 and is located at a distance of 1.5 million km from the ground. Using a set of infrared sensors, it will also observe the asteroid radiating with heat - this gives a much more accurate assessment of its size.