What is an asteroid, when will 2010 WC9 fly past Earth and could a meteor strike destroy the planet?

NASA maintains a constant monitoring programme on asteroids, gigantic space rocks that can come close to Earth and even strike the planet.
The next asteroid to zoom past Earth is the 2010 WC9 - which is the size of the Statue of Liberty! Here's what we know.
What is the 2010 WC9?
The 2010 WC9 is an asteroid roughly the size of a football pitch.
According to , it will fly past Earth at 28,655 miles per hour.
Though it will pass at a safe distance, the asteroid is expected to come closer to our planet than any other in 300 years.
It's anticipated to travel past Earth on Tuesday, May 15, 2018, but it will not be visible to the naked eye.
You may be able to catch a glimpse of the phenomena via telescope.
What is an asteroid?
An asteroid is a small, airless rocky mass which orbits the sun, but is too small to be classed as a planet.
Most of them are found in the Asteroid Belt - a ring which lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
It's thought that asteroids are debris left over at the formation of the universe about 4.6billion years ago.
Some can be very large, but others can be tiny - even as small as a grain of sand.
Because of their smaller size, asteroids lack the gravitational pull to shape themselves into a sphere - meaning they usually have a rocky, irregular appearance.
What would happen if an asteroid struck the Earth?
When an asteroid crashes into the Earth, it's known as a meteorite - and it can cause potentially huge damage, depending on the size.
For example, it was an asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs, as the impact threw up a dust cloud blocking out sunlight and destroying life.
Meanwhile, in 2013, a meteorite exploded over Russia - with more than 1,000 people injured by the explosion and following shockwaves.
At the time, experts said it released the same amount of energy as a small atomic weapon.
So, an asteroid's effects on Earth completely depend on the individual asteroid - but it is clear that if a large one did strike the planet, the consequences could be catastrophic.
Which is why the space agency has unveiled its historic plan to redirect any space rocks heading for our planet.
What are experts doing to prevent asteroids from causing destruction?
Nasa have said they are planning to smash a spaceship into an asteroid as part of an emergency rehearsal mission to save mankind.
The organisation has also warned it's "not a matter of if - but when" we will be forced to deal with an asteroid slamming into the Earth's surface.
As many worry what the world may look like if a celestial body hit our planet, astrophysicist Lord Martin Rees has warned that the government should spend millions on asteroid defence.
What other asteroids have been spotted recently?
- 2018 GE3 appeared out of nowhere on April 14, 2018, but safely passed by on April 15
- Asteroid named by NASA as 2018 CB passed the Earth on February 9, 2018
- On the morning of October 12, 2017, the Asteroid 2012 TC4 passed within about 30,000 miles of Earth
- Asteroid 2002 AJ129 hurtled past our planet in January, 2018
- A newly discovered asteroid flew between Earth and Moon at 21,000 mph in "near miss" on December 28, 2017
When will the next asteroid hit?
An asteroid expected to come close to Earth is the Apophis.
It is predicted to speed past Earth on April 13, 2029, at just 18,600 miles away - a hair's width in astronomical terms.
The rock, which is 370-metres in diameter, will fly past again on April 13, 2036.
If it hit, it would create an explosion 65,000 times as powerful as the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
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So, should we be worried about asteroids?
Nasa reassures us that the most dangerous asteroids are very rare.
According to the organisation, about once a year an asteroid the size of a car hits the atmosphere, burning up before it reaches the surface.
However, asteroids large enough to wipe out life - which would need to be over a quarter of a mile wide, according to - only strike once every 1,000 centuries.
The one to watch out for is called Gliese 710.
When it arrives at Earth (in 1.35million years), it is expected to pull asteroids from the outer reaches of the solar system towards our planet, having a potentially catastrophic impact.