This long-exposure photograph taken on July 24, 2020, shows a view of the Comet Neowise (or comet C/2020 F3) in the sky over Shwebo, Sagaing region, in Myanmar. It was discovered on March 27, 2020, by the Near Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (Neowise), which is a space telescope launched by Nasa in 2009. -- TNS
FOR a brief window, Asteroid 2024 YR4 looked like a planetary hazard in the making. At up to 90m in diameter, it was described as a potential “city killer”. On its estimated trajectory, it could’ve collided with Earth as soon as 2032.
According to the Torino Impact Hazard Scale, used to characterise such threats, it ranked a Level 3 out of 10 – a highly unusual designation, suggesting a “close encounter” was plausible.
