NASA issues global alert? Asteroid 2003 MH4 to hit Earth tomorrow? Here’s what you need to know

It began with a question that captured imaginations across the internet: Could Earth be on the brink of a cosmic collision? As headlines blared and social feeds swirled with apocalyptic speculation, clarity was urgently needed regarding Asteroid 2003 MH4.

NASA has now confirmed that while this giant space rock, spanning 335 metres (comparable to a 100-storey skyscraper), will make a close approach to Earth on 24 May, there is no immediate threat.

The asteroid will fly by at a distance of 6.68 million kilometres, with scientific modelling showing no risk of impact.

The object has been closely tracked by NASA's Centre for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), using radar and telescope data. Its classification as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA) is based on size and proximity thresholds, not because of any current danger.

Why the Alarm?

The asteroid belongs to the Apollo group, a class of near-Earth objects with orbits that intersect Earth's. This dynamic makes such objects subjects of ongoing surveillance. Its speed, 14 km/s (over 50,000 km/h), and high mass mean that if a hypothetical impact ever occurred in the distant future, the consequences could be severe.

However, MH4's current trajectory, confirmed by years of data, shows no such danger. Its orbit is influenced by gravitational nudges and solar radiation effects (like the Yarkovsky effect), but current models predict a clean flyby.

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Busting the Myths

The suggestion of a crash has no scientific basis. Flybys like these, while close in cosmic terms, are routine. Asteroid MH4 is not visible to the naked eye, although professionals may capture it via telescopes. Such events are critical for strengthening planetary defence systems, not panic.

This asteroid is not the first, nor will it be the last, to skim past Earth. In fact, similar objects pass by regularly, and none have hit in recent recorded history. For instance, 2025 KF, a smaller 23-metre asteroid, zipped past Earth just days ago at a distance of 111,000 km, yet received little attention due to its size.