Giant space rock twice the size of Big Ben to touch Earth tonight

A huge space rock, twice the size of Big Ben, will whiz past Earth tonight, say NASA brains.

The asteroid, dubbed 2020 WD5, will zoom in close to us just before 20:30.

Scientists say the colossus measures between 96 and 210 meters in diameter.

Although more than four million miles from our planet, the encounter is considered a “close approach” by NASA.

The Mirror reports how experts have pointed out that the chances of the 2020 WD5 hitting us are extremely low.

But in a twist reminiscent of a Hollywood storyline, they refuse to rule out the possibility of an asteroid crashing into us in the near future.

In the disaster movie Armageddon, Bruce Willis leads a motley group into space to deflect an asteroid monster from Earth’s destruction.

NASA explained: “For long periods of time, however, the chances of Earth being hit are not negligible, so some form of NEO insurance is warranted.

“At the moment, our best assurance lies with NEO scientists and their efforts to first find these objects and then track their movements into the future. We need to find them first, then keep an eye on them. “

If an asteroid is found to be on a collision course to Earth, NASA has several tactics up its sleeve to prevent a collision.

He explained: “One of the techniques suggested for deflecting an asteroid includes nuclear fusion weapons launched above the surface to slightly change the speed of the asteroid without fracturing it.

“The high-speed neutrons from the explosion would radiate a shell of material onto the asteroid’s surface in front of the explosion. The material in this surface shell would then expand by blowing away, thus producing a recoil on the asteroid itself.

“A very modest rate change in the asteroid’s motion (only a few millimeters per second), which acts for several years, can cause the asteroid to miss Earth completely. However, the trick is to gently push the asteroid out of harm’s way and not blow it up.

“The latter option, while popular in movies, only creates a bigger problem when all the pieces meet Earth.

“Another option that has been discussed includes the establishment of large solar sails on a small threatening object so that the pressure of sunlight can eventually redirect the object away from its predicted ground collision.”