NASA asteroid DISCOVERY: Hundreds of undetected asteroids found orbiting Venus

How often do asteroids hit the Earth?

Asteroid impacts are a fairly regular occurrence although most space rocks are too small to survive their fiery descent through Earth’s atmosphere.

NASA estimates tonnes of space debris pelts the Earth on a daily basis but most of these asteroids are sand-sized particles.

Then, a car-sized object strikes the planet approximately once a year, creating an impressive fireball in the sky before it reaches the surface.

NASA said: “Every 2,000 years or so, a meteoroid the size of a football field hits Earth and causes significant damage to the area.

“Only once every few million years, an object large enough to threaten Earth’s civilisation comes along.

“Impact craters on Earth, the moon and other planetary bodies are evidence of these occurrences.”