NATIONAL NEWS

No chance asteroid will slam into the moon in 2032, NASA says

Mar 5, 2026, 9:12 AM

FILE - This undated photo provided by NASA shows a view from orbit looking at the surface of the mo...

FILE - This undated photo provided by NASA shows a view from orbit looking at the surface of the moon. (Ernie T. Wright/NASA via AP, File)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(Ernie T. Wright/NASA via AP, File)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA issued a welcomed all-clear Thursday, saying there’s now zero chance that asteroid 2024 YR will crash into the moon in 2032.

The space agency had been predicting a 4.3% chance of a direct hit. But observations by the Webb Space Telescope in February helped scientists refine the asteroid’s orbit.

This new information indicates that the asteroid will miss the moon by 13,200 miles (21,200 kilometers) on Dec. 22, 2032.

Discovered at the end of 2024, the asteroid at first looked like it might threaten Earth. Scientists last year ruled out a collision with our planet anytime in the next century, but kept the moon as a possible target. The asteroid is about 200 feet (60 meters) across.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Please follow our Community Guidelines

National News

President Donald Trump listens to a question from a reporter after casting his early-voting ballot ...

Associated Press

Trump casts his midterm ballot early in Florida

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump cast his ballot in the midterm elections Saturday, saying he voted for all Republicans in Florida before speaking at a Georgia rally. Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrived at their West Palm Beach polling location at the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections office together […]

16 minutes ago

Floodwaters surround trailers at the Fun Valley Family Resort campground and RV part in South Fork,...

Associated Press

More rain is expected after bad flooding in the Four Corners region led to rescues and evacuations

Hundreds of people lost power and were told to evacuate in the Four Corners area, emergency crews staged overnight rescues, and roads and bridges remained closed Saturday because of severe flooding in Colorado and New Mexico. Authorities expected more rain Saturday in the region where the borders of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet. […]

3 hours ago

FILE - Former NBA player Malik Beasley arrives outside of Brooklyn federal court on July 1, 2026, i...

Associated Press

Former NBA star Malik Beasley negotiating plea deal over gambling charges

Former NBA player Malik Beasley is negotiating a plea agreement with the Department of Justice after initially pleading not guilty to charges that he altered his play in certain games in 2024 to enrich sports bettors and ease his own debts, his attorney said Saturday. In July, Beasley entered a not guilty plea in New […]

3 hours ago

The entrance to the Six Flags Over Georgia amusement park in Mableton, Ga., is seen Friday, Oct. 16...

Associated Press

Six Flags says it will install seat belts on Georgia roller coaster after rider’s death

The chief executive of Six Flags says the company will install seat belts on the Georgia roller coaster from which a rider fell to his death earlier this month. The company’s rides with similar restraints will also get the safety upgrade. The theme park operator announced the extra safeguard less than two weeks after 42-year-old […]

4 hours ago

Georgia gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson speaks before President Donald Trump arrives at a camp...

Associated Press

Republican billionaire Rick Jackson is walking a Trump tightrope in his quest to lead Georgia

ATLANTA (AP) — He’s hardly the first billionaire to promise working-class voters he’ll fight for them in public office. Rick Jackson, the Republican candidate for Georgia governor, has even compared himself to the real estate mogul who reached the Oval Office. But Jackson’s path differs from Donald Trump’s, and the 72-year-old healthcare magnate and investor […]

5 hours ago

Paul Barringer, the Democratic nominee running for North Carolina's 13th Congressional District, sp...

Associated Press

This US House district was once a political battleground. Now it shows why Congress is dysfunctional

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — In 2022, Democrat Wiley Nickel ran as a moderate and narrowly won North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District by about 9,000 votes. Two years later, the current congressman, Republican Brad Knott, ran as a conservative and coasted into the U.S. House by more than 70,000 votes. Voters didn’t change their minds. Politicians […]

7 hours ago

No chance asteroid will slam into the moon in 2032, NASA says