The asteroid has triggered a global defence plan amid fears of it smashing into Earth

According to some, Ireland could be destroyed by a series of catastrophic earthquakes or enormous tsunamis caused by a large asteroid racing towards Earth.

David Moore of Astronomy Ireland said that if the 100-meter-wide space rock known as 2024 YR4 were to strike, it would be a "country killer."

Fears that the asteroid would strike Earth in 2032 have prompted a global defense strategy. US and European space agencies have ranked the 100-meter asteroid—the size of the Statue of Liberty and its plinth combined in New York—as the top hazard to human life.

Apophis, the only asteroid to ever be given a higher rating, was lowered in 2004 due to changes in its orbit, and it is now unlikely to collide with Earth for a century. However, in a real-life drama reminiscent to Leonardo di Caprio's fictional Hollywood sci-fi film Don't Look Up, the threat posed by YR4 is present and has prompted the deployment of worldwide planetary defense mechanisms, including the activation of two UN-endorsed global asteroid response organizations.

We are not prepared for such an impact that may result in a "megaton explosion," according to space science specialist Mr. Moore, who created Astronomy Ireland in 1990 and serves as editor of Astronomy Ireland magazine.

According to him, "giving this asteroid a nudge" to change its course trajectory so that it misses Ireland in just eight years is the only way to ensure survival.

"It is a real danger," Mr. Moore stated. Each time one of these approaches, it serves as a reminder that an asteroid impact could occur and result in a major natural catastrophe. Something a hundred meters in size is really important. It has an extremely slim possibility of striking Earth in 2032—1.3%.

Given its size, the asteroid YR4 may be 100 times larger than the atomic bombs used in World War II, which weighed roughly 15,000 tonnes of TNT.

If it struck us, the thermo-nuclear explosion would be greater than any single weapon ever made by man. The human race will perish if an asteroid exceeds one kilometer. They are continent killers if you descend to 150 meters. This and other 100-meter asteroids are country killers.

"Ireland would be destroyed if it happened. A crater would form, tremors would wreak havoc across the center of Ireland, or if it struck the sea, there would be tsunamis of a kind never seen before, likely reaching heights of kilometers. A 100-meter object striking the sea would be insignificant in contrast to the 2004 St. Stephen's Day tsunamis generated by a magnitude-9 earthquake in the Indian Ocean.

"The dinosaurs, which were exterminated by an asteroid impact 66 million years ago, lacked the technology to monitor rocks," he continued. We do. To send it slightly out of orbit, you could attach a rocket to it or even hit it, but that sounds like a Hollywood production. Just move it a little bit now, even a few meters, and it won't impact the earth if it misses us by a few thousand kilometers.

"There have been a few experiments, but we don't actually have rockets ready to go to nudge these asteroids," Mr. Moore cautioned. We are not prepared. The atmosphere wouldn't burn up a 100-meter asteroid. There would be a megaton explosion if it struck Earth.

Colin Snodgrass, a professor of planetary astronomy at the University of Edinburgh, stated: "This one will probably go by without any problems. Until we can verify that, it simply merits a little more telescope attention. Our future projections of its trajectory get more precise the longer we track its orbit.