Space agencies monitor space to see if any asteroids pose a threat to Earth(Image: Getty Images)

Exact times four 'killer asteroids' due head for earth amid NASA warning

The huge space rocks that are set to pass by Earth later today could cause untold devastation should they ever impact the Earth or any other celestial body out in the galaxy

24 Oct 2024, 13:10 by Anders Anglesey · The Mirror

Giant so-called "killer asteroids" are set to pass Earth within a 12-hour window after being first spotted earlier this month.

The space rocks, two of which are the size of aeroplanes, are large enough to cause untold devastation should they ever come into contact with a planet. The biggest of the set, asteroid 2002 NV16 measures 580ft and has enough destructive force to level a city.

But experts have little reason to worry about the asteroids as they will be passing at a comfortable distance from Earth. While they will not be visible to the naked eye, scientists will observe the, as they all pass by until about 4:51pm today.

The asteroids will pass by Earth later today( Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Finn Burridge, astronomer at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, told MailOnline: "Scientists can calculate the orbits of Near Earth Objects to a high precision when they get bright enough to spot and so we know for certain that none of the objects passing Earth today could collide with the planet.

He added: "Today is unusual in that we have seven asteroids all making a close approach within a small timescale, but there is almost always an asteroid wandering somewhere near the Earth."

NASA has said it would class four of the asteroids as being "potentially hazardous." The first of the asteroids to pass Earth was 2015 HM1 that shot past at about 5:36am today.

When it fired past, the space rock came within 3.4 million miles from Earth. It was also the smallest of the asteroids, measuring just 100ft across.

There is no risk of these asteroids hitting Earth( Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Asteroid 2024 TP17, measuring 170ft across, reached its closest point to Earth at about 9:20am this morning. The size might not seem impressive, but if it were ever to hit Earth the asteroid would be one of the largest to ever hit the planet.

An asteroid estimated to be 30ft smaller than 2024 TP17 exploded over Russia's Siberia region in 1908. The impact was so strong that it flattened some 830 square miles of trees.

Mr Burridge told MailOnline: 'Near 200m (656ft) is a large asteroid, and a direct hit on a city from an asteroid this large would be very bad news. However, it would have to impact the Earth near a large population centre to be dangerous. If it fell into the Pacific Ocean or Sarah desert, we may be okay."

Both NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) continue to monitor asteroids to see if any ever become a major threat to life on Earth. The ESA's Planetary Defence Office carries out regular observations to find "risky space rocks."

The ESA's Planetary Defence Office lists the following as its goals:

Become aware of the current and future position of near-Earth objects relative to our planet
Estimate the likelihood of Earth impacts
Assess the consequences of any possible impact
Inform relevant parties, e.g. national emergency response agencies
Develop methods to deflect any risky asteroids