AN astronomer funded by a Swindon-based research body has reassured people that the giant asteroid heading towards earth is unlikely to mean the end of the world in 2019.

However, he cannot entirely rule out that Asteroid 2002 NT7 will miss the earth completely.

Astronomers say the asteroid, estimated to be between 0.6 to 2.5 miles wide, is scheduled to crash into the earth at 18 miles per second on February 1, 2019, which would result in the annihilation of humanity.

Dr Robert Massey, is an astronomer at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, and is funded by the North-Star based Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council.

He said the likelihood of the asteroid destroying the world would reduce as further observations will render more accurate information about its course.

Dr Massey said: "I think it is extremely unlikely that the asteroid will hit the earth. If it did hit us the possibility is rather low. We can't say with total certainty that the possibility is zero.

"At this stage don't panic, wait for confirmation that the earth is on the collision course.

"After a few more observations in a few weeks' time we'll probably find out the possibility is even less."

He added that we are not helpless if we are threatened by near-earth objects.

"Incidents like this remind us of how important it is to carry out this kind of research," he said.

"If you spot them early enough we can do something about it. The key is prevention.

"If we had tens of years notice as opposed to one we could employ various strategies to nudge it out of our path like creating a small explosion to the side of it or even attach an engine."

NASA and the US Airforce's Linear Observatory in New Mexico spotted the asteroid on July 9 but the odds of it hitting the earth has come down from one in 60,000 to one in 75,000 overnight as more observations are made.