A group of researchers has said that the asteroid, known as (101955) 1999 RQ36, is around 560m across. This is enough to create a very serious impact if it landed in a populated area.

However, the asteroid only has a one in a thousand chance of colliding with Earth. Also, because towns and cities only take up a tiny percentage of the Earth’s surface, asteroids are unlikely to kill people.

This asteroid is what is known as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA). Around 1,140 of these are currently known, but it is very unlikely that any will strike us.

The researchers say that impact monitoring should look ahead further than the 80-100 years that is usual at the moment. They say that this would give scientists longer to come up with technology to deflect asteroids away.

Scientists are studying an asteroid that could collide with the Earth in the year 2182.