NASA has significantly lowered the risk of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting Earth. Last week, the asteroid had a 3.1% probability of hitting Earth, which set a record level for large space rocks.

In reality, even as the near-Earth asteroid 2024 YR4 was moving away, ground-based telescopes were able to gather enough observations to get a better handle on its orbit. So we can safely take a deep breath and return to the more pressing existential problems posed by threats on this planet rather than off-world.

The chances of Asteroid 2024 YR4 striking Earth have increased. Here's what that means, and where the potential impact zone could be.

Even in the increasingly unlikely event of an impact from YR4, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest appear to be safe from impact. Computer models showed areas of South America, Africa and southeast Asia would have the highest risk in the event of an impact, based on what astronomers know about the asteroid’s orbit.

New observations of a small asteroid discovered in December have led astronomers to conclude that the chances of it striking Earth are almost zero, after earlier data had indicated a higher risk of a collision with this space rock about 40 to 90 metres wide.

Earth is no longer on a collision course with asteroid 2024 YR4, but it could potentially collide with the Moon. After weeks of observation, NASA and the European Space Agency confirmed that the asteroid no longer poses a threat to Earth.