An asteroid large enough to destroy a city is heading in the direction of Earth and will pass by close enough to see with binoculars.

The ‘City Killer’ asteroid is about the size of the Westminster’s Elizabeth Tower at around 300ft and will be traveling at 17,500mph.

The space rock will be hurtling in between the Earth and the moon at a distance of 100,000 miles.

VERY RARE OCCURRENCE

This will give astronomy enthusiasts a chance to deeply study the object.

Given the size and distance of the object, NASA is saying that this type of occurrence is very rare – once every decade.

While there is no chance of it striking Earth, it can be used to practise defense for asteroids that pose a planetary threat.

The asteroid is due to return in 2026, with experts saying it will again pose no threat.