By Eddie Wrenn

PUBLISHED: 09:21 EST, 16 March 2012 | UPDATED: 11:00 EST, 16 March 2012


Watch out for 2012: Luckily, the asteroid is just doing a fly-by this time...

Watch out for 2012: Luckily, the asteroid is just doing a fly-by this time...

An asteroid with the destructive power of an H-bomb is scheduled to sweep past the Earth at a distance closer than commercial satellites.

Asteroid 2012 DA14 circles the Earth once a year - and when it flies by next February, it will be just 24,000km away.

Luckily, it is not going to hit us this time round - but be warned that this is just one of just 500,000 rocks circling in a close orbit.

Scientists say there is no chance of an impact in 2013, but such a possibility cannot be ruled out during the asteroid's yearly approach .

If it did enter the Earth's atmosphere and explode, the force would be enough to destroy an area the size of Greater London.

The asteroid was spotted last month by a team operating from the La Sagra Sky Survey observatory near Granada in Spain. The observatory uses automated telescopes to track small asteroids and comets.

2012 DA14 was discovered after the astronomers decided to search areas of the sky where asteroids are not usually seen.

Dr Gerhard Drolshagen, a near-Earth object observer from the European Space Agency's Space Situational Awareness (SSA) office, said: 'The object is roughly 50 metres across and at that size it could do some damage if it exploded over an inhabited area. It would have the force of the biggest nuclear weapon.'

In 1908 an asteroid estimated to be 40 metres across exploded over Tunguska in Siberia, flattening 2,000 square kilometres of forest.

Coming soon: Asteroid 2012 will fly past the earth during it's 366-day orbit

Coming soon: Asteroid 2012 will fly past the Earth during it's 366-day orbit

'That is an area the size of Greater London,' said Dr Drolshagen. 'This asteroid is a little bigger.'

The asteroid is expected to make its closest approach shortly after 6pm, UK time on February 15.

'Next year it will be nice to watch through a pair of binoculars, but there is nothing to worry about,' said Dr Drolshagen. 'In future times the possibility of a collision cannot be completely excluded. It is highly unlikely, but the chance is greater than zero.'

An estimated 500,000 near-Earth objects measuring up to 30 metres are believed to be undiscovered.

Dr Detlef Koschny, also from the SSA, said: 'We are developing a system of automated optical telescopes that can detect asteroids just like this one, with the goal of being able to spot them at least three weeks before closest approach to Earth.'

Here's what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

What will be will be

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Based on the fact it will go by within the geo ring, one can only imagine that the earths gravitation pull will have some affect on future trajectories (by how much, no idea). After all the reason the satellites are located on the geo ring is because it is the place where the gravitational pull from the earth and other celestial objects are even i.e. cancel each other out. Also I wonder what the chances it will take a satellite out given it will cross the ring boundary at least twice; coming and and going out.

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"luckily, it`s not going to hit us this time?".............I can`t wait for you`re headline when it is!

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This is the equivalent of a bullet parting your hair.

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Excellent headline. Try again.

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It is amazing that something that is smaller than a jumbo jet can crash into the ground and cause such devastation.

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The earths orbits around the sun at 66,000 mph, are the calcultaions that accurate? I remeber the last close encounter, it seemed like the asteroid was miles away until someone pointed out that it passed through the spot the earth was in just half an hour before.

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So close only 24,000kms, I will be able to touch it from my bedroom window. I pity the people who live on the planet in 1 million years time because if they haven't already died of some other scare monger tactic they might die of this one. Get a life somebody.

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surely if it deflects of one off the many satellites that are up their it could put it on too an collison course with our planet and end up killing us all. i dont know why we think its acceptable too damage our own planet and the space around it. one day that will come back too haunt us and it sounds like those people with theyre calendar have it predicted to be this year

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If the Lib Con Demolition Squad dont sink the NHS with their new bill, then the asteroid could be their Plan B

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