Asteroids, which usually sit in the inner solar system, tend to orbit the sun, but do not resemble the shape of a planet. There are millions of these rock formations flying around space and their collisions – known as impact events – have played a significant role in shaping many planets. NASA previously revealed Chucxlubu – a 112-mile-wide impact crater in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula was the “smoking gun” to the extinction of dinosaurs 65 million years ago.
However, it will not be the last of its kind, according to John Zarnecki.
The International Space Science director claimed during a BBC Radio 4 “In Our Time” broadcast on asteroids that another event of this magnitude will strike again.
He said in 2005: “It is absolutely certain that we will be hit again.
“The question is when will we be hit again? And I can’t give any predictions.
“It could be in five years time, it could be in five thousand, or even five million.”
Mr Zarnecki, who is a former Professor of Space Science at the Open University, urged more research to be put into defending the planet.
He added: “We just have to look around us in the solar system at objects like the moon, hammered with impact craters.
“On the astronomical timescale, these happen relatively frequently.
“We live in a very dynamic solar system and it is a matter of when [an asteroid will hit].
“We should be looking, planning at ways to deflect an asteroid at some point.”
Jay Melosh, an American geophysicist came up with a genius plan to “save the world” back in 2009.
He revealed during Amazon Prime’s “Asteroid Trackers” series how NASA could knock the space rock off course.
Mr Melosh said: “In space, we would use a mirror like a magnifying glass.
“As we hit the asteroid, we begin to vaporise material and, as it vaporises, the asteroid gets pushed the other way.
“What we would do with a real asteroid is focus some light on it until the rock vaporises.
“All we need to do is change the velocity of the asteroid by one centimetre a second.
“That tiny nudge over the year will push it off a collision course and save Earth.”