China is recruiting for a planetary defense force to combat the threat of asteroids colliding with Earth. The successful candidates will be required to research tasks related to near-Earth asteroid monitoring and early warning systems,

Astronomers will use the Webb telescope to closely monitor the size and trajectory of an asteroid that has a slim chance of hitting Earth in 2032.

The asteroid is hurtling towards us at a zippy 15,000 miles per hour, according to the space agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

NASA astronaut and International Space Station commander Leroy Chiao discusses the latest track of the asteroid and how NASA is preparing.

Another night of observations revealed there is little to fear from the football-field-sized Asteroid 2024 YR4.

NASA said Wednesday that new data collected overnight cut the probability of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting Earth to 1.5%. The chances of impact had been 3.1%.

"An asteroid this size impacts Earth on average every few thousand years and could cause severe damage to a local region," the European Space Agency said.

NASA's Lucy spacecraft, on its way to Jupiter's Trojan asteroids, has its next target in its sights: the main belt asteroid 52246 Donaldjohanson.

Chances an asteroid may hit Earth in 2032 dropped to near zero, astronomers say. Here's what to know about 2024 YR4.

In December 2024, astronomers in Chile spotted a new asteroid streaking through the sky, which they named 2024 YR4. What's significant about this 100m-wide space rock is that it has a small chance of hitting Earth in 2032.