Expert shares key facts about asteroid that could hit Earth in 2032

An asteroid capable of flattening a mid-sized city could potentially collide with Earth eight years from now, as its orbit around the sun briefly intersects the path of our planet. Named 2024 YR4, the space rock carries with it very slim odds of striking land — either on Earth or, even less likely, the moon — and astronomers have so far set the probability of a crash at around 2%. 

International space organizations like NASA are taking the possible threat seriously, however small it might be. Richard Moissl, the head of the European Space Agency's planetary defense office, said their attentiveness shouldn't unduly raise public concern. He shared key facts about the asteroid with CBS News during the below conversation,  which has been edited for clarity.