NASA has said Earth will likely be spared by a deadly Big Ben-sized asteroid and predicts it could smash into the Moon instead in a dramatic collision.
Nasa said the scare proved an "invaluable opportunity" to test Earth's planetary defence procedures, as scientists came up with ideas to stop the killer asteroid.
Operations engineer for the University of Arizona's Catalina Sky Survey, David Rankin, told the New Scientist: "There is the possibility this would eject some material back out that could hit the Earth, but I highly doubt it would cause any major threat.".
But a spokesman for Nasa said: “There still remains a very small chance for asteroid 2024 YR4 to impact the Moon.".
Astronomers first noticed that the asteroid was hurtling towards Earth in December - and it shot straight to the top of the risk list.
