An asteroid as tall as the Eiffel Tower is coming towards Earth in December - but thankfully will pose no threat to humanity.
Almost triple the size of a football pitch, the asteroid named 4660 Nereus is classified as a 'Potentially Hazardous Asteroid' (PHA), reports the Daily Record.
NASA's asteroid monitor predicts it will come close to Earth on December 11. Impact from the asteroid could be devastating, but thankfully, it dose not pose a threat to the planet.
The asteroid will fly by the planet at a distance of 3.9 million kilometres - a distance greater than 10 times of that between the Earth and the moon.
Nereus is 330 metres long, which makes it larger than 90% of asteroids, but tiny compared to large asteroids, according to Space Reference.
The asteroid orbits the sun every 664 days though it is predicted not to come close to the Earth again until March 2, 2031 and then November 2050.
Its closest approach will not happen for another 40 years in February 2060.
Discovered in 1982 by US astronomer Eleanor F. Helin, Nereus is a member of the Apollo group of asteroids which are known for crossing the path of the Earth as it orbits the Sun.
Scientists have considered missions to the asteroid, but plans have fallen through each time.
NASA proposed sending the Robotic Asteroid Shoemaker Rendezvous (NEAR) probe and Japan assessed sending the robotic spacecraft Hayabusa to Nereus, but both ultimately chose other targets.
It is not the first time large asteroids have entered the Earth's orbit, however.
In September, an asteroid larger than Big Ben's clock tower was set to crash through the Earth’s orbit, travelling at incredible speeds of 50,000mph.
The rock, designated 2021RL3, is between 160 feet to 360 feet wide, came within 1,804,450 miles of Earth. For comparison, the Moon is located just 238,855 miles away.
The asteroid is measured to be close enough to be around 7 lunar distances away - trips to the moon and back.
