An asteroid the size of a double-decker bus is set to skim past Earth today - but the good news, according to Nasa, is that it has no chance of colliding with the planet.

The space rock, labelled 2010 TD54, will reach its nearest point to Earth - approximately 28,000 miles away - around midday, although it is unclear what its exact course will be.

However scientists have said that despite its close proximity to the planet it will not enter the Earth's atmosphere and, if it did, it would be most likely to burn up before reaching the ground.

'Fortunately it seems this one will miss us,' Emily Baldwin of Astronomy Now told The Times. 'But it is a reminder that the Earth is still in the middle of a cosmic shooting gallery and we need to keep constant watch for incoming asteroids. [ DAILY MAIL UK ]