A Country Killer

It's two kilometres across, is travelling at 30 kilometres a second, and is on course to hit Earth in 17 years time.

It is a giant asteroid and was spotted several weeks ago by space watchers.

Early calculations of its trajectory have the massive rock meeting the Earth's orbit on 1 February, 2019.

If the asteroid does hit the Earth it will wipe out a middle-sized country and have a major effect upon the world's atmosphere.

Scientists say the object is about the size of the asteroid that hit Earth and wiped out the dinosaurs.

However, it is not all doom and gloom because experts say that just because the potential country killer may cross our planet's path, it doesn't necessarily mean that we will be there at that time.

Needless to say, the computers are running hot trying to work out the exact time it will be in our vicinity - and which part of the Earth is likely to be hit.

Photo courtesy of Joe Tucciarone.