An asteroid the size of a bus is headed our way but NASA says the space rock will zoom safely past earth.
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The newly discovered asteroid will come within 22,000 kilometres of earth, well below many of the communications satellites orbiting the planet, scientists said this week.
The closest approach will occur after 9pm AEST on Thursday over the southeastern Pacific Ocean.
Once it's gone, the asteroid won't be back to earth's neighbourhood until 2041.
Scientists estimate the asteroid is between 4.5 metres and 9 metres long.
By asteroid standards, it's considered tiny.
Asteroids of this size hit earth's atmosphere and burn up once every year or two, said Paul Chodas, director of the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Asteroid 2020 SW, as it is known, was discovered last Friday by the Catalina Sky Survey at the University of Arizona in Tucson.
Australian Associated Press
