NASA has revealed a newly-discovered asteroid has a one in 600 chance of hitting Earth as it's set to come dangerously close to the planet in the future.
First detected on February 27, 2023, the asteroid - which is known as 2023 DW - is estimated to measure around 50 meters (165 feet) in diameter, making it a similar size to an Olympic swimming pool.
The asteroid is set to make a perilously close approach to our planet in around two decades' time, with NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office tweeting that there is a slight chance it could hit Earth.
A 1-in-600 chance is a higher than average risk than most asteroids, but NASA added that it is still a "very small chance" of impact.
The space agency also added that the risk level is expected to decrease as we get clearer observations of the asteroid in question, with the odds of it hitting Earth being recalculated daily.
According to the European Space Agency's Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre, as of March 2023, there was a one in 625 chance of 2023 DW hitting the planet on February 14, 2046.
NASA tweeted: "We've been tracking a new asteroid named 2023 DW that has a very small chance of impacting Earth in 2046.
"Often when new objects are first discovered, it takes several weeks of data to reduce the uncertainties and adequately predict their orbits years into the future.
"Orbit analysts will continue to monitor asteroid 2023 DW and update predictions as more data comes in."
If the asteroid were to hit Earth, the impact would not be as extreme as the asteroid that hit the Earth 66 million years ago and killed the dinosaurs, which is estimated to have been around 7.5 miles in diameter.
However, it could still have a massive impact if it were to land in a densely-populated area such as a major city and cause massive damage.
An asteroid less than half the size of 2023 DW exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2013 which sparked a shockwave that injured 1,500 people and damaged thousands of buildings in the vicinity.
Per Space.com, asteroids are the "rocky remnants of material leftover from the formation of the solar system and its planets approximately 4.6 billion years ago."
The majority of asteroids come from the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, per NASA, and their current asteroid count is over 1 million.
The rocky formations orbit the sun in elliptical circles which can be erratic, causing the asteroid to fall through space.
Asteroids can vary greatly in size, from the largest known example - named Vesta - which has a diameter of around 326 miles, to ones that are less than 33 feet in diameter.
While 2023 DW colliding with the Earth is very unlikely, NASA is continually developing methods of protecting the planet from any that might be likely to hit.
Four studies were released last March from NASA scientists, confirming that their Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission had successfully altered the trajectory of a small asteroid.
This was done by hitting it directly with a spacecraft and follow-up missions are underway to hone the method of defense and reroute any asteroids which could be a danger to Earth.
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