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A MAMMOTH asteroid capable of wiping out an entire country is on a near-collision course with Earth, it has emerged.
The 1,000-metre wide monster will hurtle terrifyingly close to the planet within days, sparking fears of an unprecedented disaster.
The object called ‘2014-YB35’ is almost the same size as Ben Nevis and will skim the Earth on FRIDAY travelling at more than 23,000 mph.
Small meteorites often pass close by however one of this size is a once in 5,000-year occurrence, according to concerned astronomers.
Experts warn it is only a matter of time before an asteroid capable of “lifer altering” damage collides with our planet.
According to express.co.uk Bill Napier, professor of astronomy at the University of Buckinghamshire, said there is a “very real risk” of a comet or damaging asteroid hitting Earth.
He said: “Smaller scale events like Tunguska are absolutely a real risk, largely they are undiscovered and so we are unprepared.
“With something like YB35, we are looking at a scale of global destruction, something that would pose a risk to the continuation of the planet.
“These events are however very rare, it is the smaller yet still very damaging impacts which are a very real threat.”