Technologies

The Asteroid That Was Predicted to Hit Earth: See It in a New Image

A NASA telescope captured images of the asteroid that had a chance of hitting Earth three months ago.

A few months ago, an asteroid created quite a buzz. At one point, asteroid 2024 YR4 had a 3.1% chance of hitting Earth, creating plenty of headlines about its potential impact. The threat is all but gone, but we now have pictures of the once-worrisome asteroid.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope captured images of the asteroid with two cameras, including the Near-Infrared Camera and the Mid-Infrared Instrument. The former measures reflected light, while the latter shows thermal energy. The images were posted by the European Space Agency last week. The pictures demonstrate a couple of fun facts about the asteroid: It is the smallest object ever targeted by JWST’s instruments to date, and it’s one of the smallest objects ever directly measured.

Estimates initially put the asteroid at around 40 to 90 meters. The actual size turned out to be 60 meters or around 180 feet. «These measurements indicate that this asteroid does not share properties observed in larger asteroids,» the European Space Agency said in its post. «This is likely a combination of its fast spin and lack of fine-grained sand on its surface. Further research is needed, however, this is considered consistent with a surface dominated by rocks that are roughly fist-sized or larger.»

According to NASA, the asteroid will only be visible from Earth for a little longer. It orbit is now taking it away from Earth, and the agency estimates that it will disappear from even the strongest telescope instruments by late April or early May. NASA said the asteroid will not be visible again until 2028 when its orbit brings it back toward Earth.

The asteroid may hit the moon

The 2024 YR4 asteroid caused quite a stir when astronomers first reported it via the Minor Planet Center in December 2024. Based on the data collected on its trajectory at that point, the asteroid had a 1.3% chance of hitting Earth.

The percentage fluctuated over the next few months, reaching as high as 3.1%. After further research, the odds dropped dramatically to 0.28%. According to NASA’s Sentry tool, which monitors asteroids that may impact Earth, the threat now sits at 0.00078%.

The moon may not be so lucky. Per NASA, the odds of the asteroid impacting the moon are somewhere around 3.8%, which is even higher odds than the asteroid ever had of impacting Earth. Scientists are gathering data before the asteroid disappears, but it’s likely we won’t know more until the asteroid comes back into view in 2028.

Technologies

Married Student Loan Borrowers Dodged a Payment Increase: Here’s What Happened

Technologies

Switch 2 US Preorders Starting April 24, Price Staying at $450, Nintendo Confirms

Accessories, however, will see a little increase in price.

Two weeks after Nintendo delayed Switch 2 preorders in the US due to new tariffs instituted by President Donald Trump, the company confirmed the price and when gamers in the US can preorder the next Switch. There are, however, some items that will go up in price.

The Switch 2 will continue to start at $450, Nintendo posted on Friday on its site. Also staying the same price is the Switch 2 Mario Kart World Bundle for $500. US gamers will also be able to preorder their Switch 2 starting April 24.

Game pricing will remain the same, with Mario Kart World still at the $80 price, while Donkey Kong Bananza, which releases July 17, will be priced at $70. What will change is the price of accessories, with some increasing by $5. This includes:

Switch 2 Pro Controller (originally $80, now $85)
Joy-Con 2 Pair (originally $90, now $95)
Joy-Con 2 Charging Grip (originally $35, now $40)
Joy-Con 2 Wheel Set (originally $20, now $25)
Nintendo Switch 2 Camera (originally $50, now $55)
Joy-Con 2 Strap (originally $13, now $14)
Nintendo Switch 2 Dock Set (originally $110, now $120)
Switch 2 Carrying Case & Screen Protector (originally $35, now $40)
Switch 2 All-in-One Carrying Case (originally $80, now $85)
Switch 2 AC Adapter (originally $30, now $35)

Of the accessories listed, the most sought after are the Switch 2 Pro Controller and Switch 2 Camera. The Pro Controller isn’t required to play the console on the TV, but its design is more akin to the PS5 DualSense controller and Microsoft’s Xbox controller. As for the Switch 2 Camera, it will be used primarily for the console’s GameChat function. The camera will allow players to communicate with each other by video, which is a first for Nintendo.

Nintendo had a bit of a rough time winning over gamers when it revealed the Switch 2 on April 2. The Switch successor does have a big jump in power, with some analysts suggesting its graphical power is between a PS4 Pro and a PS5, but there were other concerns.

Most notable was the price of Mario Kart World. At $80, the popular kart racing game would be the highest-priced game without any extras or downloadable content. New games across all platforms cost $70. Nintendo has yet to explain why Mario Kart World warranted the higher price, but analysts suggest it could be due to the increase in costs of the storage used in Switch 2 cartridges.

To help save publishers money, Nintendo instituted what it calls Game-key cards. These cartridges will use a minimal amount of storage and will allow owners to download the entire game straight to their Switch 2. This means when someone buys a physical cartridge, there is a good chance that the entire game won’t be on that cartridge.

Another issue related to price is having to pay for a Switch 2 version of an already owned Switch game. While this did happen with previous generation PlayStation and Xbox consoles, some Switch 2 upgrades for Nintendo games will cost $10, others will cost $20, and there will be a few that are free. This lack of uniformity with pricing and the non-specifics about how much improvement there will be on the Switch 2 versions is leaving some gamers less than happy.

Tariffs and the Nintendo Switch 2 price

Many wondered if Nintendo had bumped up the Switch 2 prices in anticipation of Trump’s promised tariffs, which remains unclear, but so far the company hasn’t raised them in response to those tariffs going into effect — the ones that have remained, anyway.

Nintendo announced the Switch 2 on April 2, the same day Trump announced his new round of tariffs. After a week of confusion, many of those tariffs were rolled back and certain product categories granted exclusions, but unease remains for consumers looking to buy TVs, gadgets and cars.

Read more: Buy or Wait Guide: How Tariffs Will Change Tech Prices and What to Do Now, According to Experts

What the tariffs have done is interrupt the preorder schedule Nintendo originally set up. While third-party retailers like Best Buy said that pre-orders would begin on April 9, Nintendo soon delayed them in the US and explicitly cited the tariffs and economic conditions as the cause. The Switch 2 pre-order date in other countries did not change until Canada’s was also delayed, as Mobile Syrup reported. So far, the console’s launch date still remains on June 5.

While Nintendo hasn’t raised the price of the Switch 2 console yet due to tariffs, Sony announced that the PS5’s cheapest digital-only version would get a 25% price hike in Europe, Australia and New Zealand (the more expensive PS5 with disc drive’s prices would remain unchanged).

Much has changed since the original Nintendo Switch launched in 2017, from Nintendo’s strategy to the world of gaming. With its successor, Nintendo stuck to the console format’s strengths and didn’t experiment with new control methods. Instead, the Switch 2 developers focused on increasing its processing speed to help it become a dedicated game platform «with a strong and solid foundation» to let game developers create what they want, as Takuhiro Dohta, Nintendo senior director of entertainment planning and development, said in an official developer interview.

«Since Switch launched, I think there’s been a shift in how software developers create games. Rather than leveraging hardware features to create something unique, developers can now choose which software technologies they want to incorporate to make their games stand out,» said Dohta.

Technologies

Skullcandy’s Grom Wireless Kids Headphones Are a Steal At Just $21

Looking for a pair of headphones for a young child? The Grom Wireless, one of our top picks for best kids headphones, are currently 40% off.

Skullcandy’s new $100 Method 360 ANC earbuds, which feature Sound by Bose and are essentially a budget version of Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, have recently been getting a lot of attention thanks to their value. However, I just noticed another Skullcandy deal worth highlighting. The Grom Wireless «kids» headphones, that are on CNET’s list of best headphones for kids, are down to $21 on Amazon. That’s 40% off the list price of $35.

Read more: Best Headphones for Kids of 2025

I tested Skullcandy’s Grom Wireless over-ear headphones last year (and had my younger daughter try them). Targeted at the 12-and-under set, they have basically everything you’d want in a kids’ headphone, including a comfortable fit, decent enough sound, a volume limiter, a shared headphone port and a wired option in case you need it. Battery life is rated at 45 hours, which is also pretty good.

This headphone also comes in a wired-only version in white and blue that’s currently discounted to $15. I think stepping up to the wireless version for $6 more is a better option, but both models are among the more stylish kids headphones available and worth checking out if you’re in the market for a set of headphones for a younger child.

While it’s true that most headphones work just fine for kids, when you’re looking for headphones for children, especially very young ones, you tend to look for more compact models that don’t cost too much. Additionally, some folks want headphones that have a volume limiter to protect their child’s hearing. Yes, you can also set volume restrictions in the settings of a smartphone or tablet, but not everybody wants to fiddle with those settings.