Nasa issues warning as huge asteroid set to pass Earth on Christmas Eve

It will make a 'close approach'

On the night when Father Christmas will be tearing up the skies in his sleigh, he might need to just watch out for any hazards whizzing by.

Asteroid 2024 XN1 will be flying past Earth on December 24, and is the size of a 10-storey building, measuring 29-70 metres in diameter.

According to NASA's Asteroid Watch dashboard, the rock should pass by our planet at a distance of 4.48 million miles (7.21 million km).

The asteroid was spotted on December 12 by Nasa and the European Space Agency's planetary defence systems.

They then calculated its orbit and trajectory, before classifying it as a "close approach." This is the term given to asteroids that pass within 65 million miles (7.5 million km) of Earth.

Looking at its size and distance from Earth, the ESA has rated it as a "very frequent approach." They've also not decided to include the celestial body on the risk list of objects with a non-zero probability of colliding with Earth. This means there is no chance the asteroid will hit us.

2024 XN1 will reach its closest point to Earth at 02:56 am GMT on the morning of Christmas Eve.

By astronomical standards, this is a pretty close shave, but rest assured there is absolutely zero chance of it striking us and ruining Christmas.

However, if an asteroid of this size did hit Earth, be in no doubt that it would have cataclysmic consequences.

If 2024 XN1 did hit us, it would have an impact force the equivalent of 12 million tonnes of TNT, and would obliterate an area of around 700 square miles.

“If you’d like to compare it to a previous asteroid impact, the Tunguska Event in Russia in 1908 involved an asteroid which was a roughly similar size to this one,” said Ms. Lee. “It exploded above the ground and knocked down 80 million trees.”

The asteroid won't be visible in the night sky to astronomers, and will next come near Earth in January 2032.