Oxford astrophysics professor explains 'quite devastating' impact asteroid that could hit Earth in seven years may do

If the asteroid with a small chance of hitting Earth in seven years actually plummets into us, the impact could be 'quite devastating'.

That's according to University of Oxford professor Stephen Smartt, who has revealed what '2024 YR4' is truly capable of.

The asteroid was first discovered by NASA’s Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in Chile on 27 December, last year.

What happens if 2024 YR4 collides with Earth?

Professor Smartt told Sky News that 2024 YR4 could have a similar impact to the Tunguska event on 30 June 1908.

Up to three people are thought to have died from a probable meteor air burst of a small asteroid or comet near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in Yeniseysk Governorate, Russia.

Experts believe that the large explosion took place six to 10 km (four to six miles) above our planet's surface while travelling at a speed of around 11 km/s, or seven mi/s.

"And that's what happened with Tunguska. It's like a stony-type asteroid, exactly like Tunguska, similar type of size, and so it would cause an air burst," he explained.

The 2024 YR4 asteroid has a small chance of it hitting Earth in 2032 (Getty Stock Images)

"But that would still be quite devastating. That would still cause quite localised devastation, maybe over an area of 30 kilometres across, or so, 30/50 kilometres.

"So if it did hit the Earth, and it did collide with an inhabited area, it is quite devastating, and we would have to take action."

Professor Smartt suggested that 'the most likely is evacuation is probably the best mitigation strategy for this type of event'.

"I mean, this what the Atlas survey was designed to do, to find any fast moving, small asteroids that might go on a collision course with the Earth, and you didn't have enough time to do anything else other than evacuate," he added.

"Because, as Tariq said, these other big asteroids, which might propose a threat to humanity, are completely different to this type of small 50 meter-type of object.

"And we know most of the locations about all of these kilometre size, few kilometre size, objects that might do serious global damage."

The chances of 2024 YR4 colliding with Earth

The latest calculations from Sentry state that there is a 0.36 percent chance of 2024 YR4 colliding with Earth, which is 'one in 280 odds of impact'.

NASA has estimated that it's between 40 and 90 meters (130-295 feet), if it were to hit Earth on 22 December 2032.