'Potentially hazardous' asteroid larger than world's tallest building to skim past Earth

An asteroid bigger than the world's tallest building is set to skim past Earth.

Known as 2002 AJ129, the rock will fly past our planet in just two weeks time on February 4.

Measuring up to 1.1 kilometres in diameter, it will be larger than the world's tallest building the Burj Khalifa which stands 0.8km high.

It is classed as a "potentially hazardous" asteroid, according to NASA, as it comes within 4.6 million miles (7.4 million km) of our planet.

And it is set to pass by Earth at a relatively close distance of around 2.6 million miles (4.2 million km).

Previous research has shown a rock of this size could send our planet into a mini ice age if it hit the planet, according to the MailOnline.

Charles Bardeen, of the National Centre for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, said a kilometre-wide space rock would have a "very severe global impact".

In a 2016 study on the effects of a collision with such an object warned that impact could cause the world to become a darker, colder and drier place.

Mr Bardeen said at the time: "These would not be pleasant times."

February's asteroid is not expected to hit Earth, according to NASA, which details the rock as part of its research into close approaches to the Earth by near-Earth objects (NEOs).