NASA has warned a huge asteroid is due to pass close to earth in the near future, having been previously declared 'potentially hazardous' by scientists.
The 4660 Nereus asteroid is due to pass by earth at a mind boggling speed of 6.5 kilometres per hour, with fears over the impact the asteroid could have were it to hit earth.
However, despite the concerns, there is now little chance a collision will happen, which means it should pose no threat to the planet.
It is thought the asteroid will pass earth at a distance of around 3.9million kilometres, which is around ten times further than the distance to the moon.
Scientists expect that the asteroid will enter the earth's atmosphere around 2060.
How big is the 4660 Nereus asteroid?
The asteroid is a 330 meter-long lump of space rock that is 30 meters longer than the Eiffel Tower and 20 meters longer than the Shard in London - the tallest completed building in all of western Europe.
It is equivalent in length to approximately three football pitches or roughly the height of 57 giraffes.
It is thought to be bigger than 90% of asteroids.
When will the asteroid pass earth?
The asteroid is expected to pass earth next week, on Saturday December 11.
After that it won't pass earth again until March 2 2031.
It's set to pass earth again in 2060.
By this point it will have come significantly closer to earth, reduced by more than half to just 1.2million kilometres away from earth.
Another asteroid slammed into earth's orbit earlier this week.
The 1994 WR12 entered on Monday - it is the same size as the Blackpool tower and while it clearly didn't hit earth, had it done, it would have created the equivalent force of 77 megatons of TNT.
It has been reported by astronomers that it is inevitable the rock will one day enter earth's atmosphere.
When this happens a huge bright light is expected to in the the sky.
Professor Alan Duffy, director of the Space Technology and Industry Institute said: "The best advice is, for goodness sake, do not look at this thing.
"I mean, it‘s going to be hard not to – the brightness of the glare from these objects burning up in the atmosphere.
