Huge 'planet-killing' asteroid detected, and it's headed in our direction.

 According to astronomers, they have spotted the largest planet-killing asteroid in the past eight years, and the massive space rock will cross Earth's orbit.

The 2022 AP7 asteroid was discovered by researchers searching for space pebbles between the orbits of Earth and Venus.

Scott Sheppard and colleagues at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington report in the Astronomical Journal that they have discovered three "quite huge" asteroids, one of which - 2022 AP7 – crosses Earth's orbit, making it a potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA).

With a diameter between 1.1 km and 2.3 km, 2022 AP7 is the largest PHA detected since 2014 and likely within the top 5% largest ever discovered.

"Any asteroid larger than 1 kilometre in diameter is regarded a planet-killer," said Sheppard, adding that if such an object were to strike the Earth, the impact would be catastrophic for life as we know it, with dust and toxins sent into the atmosphere, where they would remain for years.

"The Earth's surface would presumably cool considerably if sunlight could not reach it. It would be the first mass extinction event on Earth in millions of years," he warned.

While the discovery of 2022 AP7 may evoke images of the Armageddon-like asteroid described in the film Don't Look Up, the study provides confidence.

"It has no opportunity to strike the Earth at this time," Sheppard said, noting that 2022 AP7 passes Earth's orbit when the planet is on the opposite side of the sun.

Sheppard noted that the asteroid will gradually cross Earth's orbit closer to our planet over time. But, he continued, "this will be centuries from now, and we do not have a precise enough understanding of 2022 AP7's orbit to predict potential risks in the distant future."

Using the Chilean Blanco four-meter telescope, Sheppard and his colleagues anticipate discovering "a few more" planet-killing near-earth objects measuring 1 km or larger during the next two years.

The director of the National Near Earth Objects Information Centre in mid-Wales, Jay Tate, told the Guardian that he was not concerned about 2022 AP7 because the Earth was a very small target. "At this time, the impact probability is relatively modest. "I wouldn't say inconsequential, but it's rather small."

Nasa launched the Dart mission in September, crashing a spacecraft into an asteroid in an attempt to dislodge it from its orbit. The mission was an attempt to test technology that could one day be employed to deal with dangerous space rocks. Researchers confirmed last month that Dart was a success.

Tate stated that due to the size of asteroid 2022 AP7, an approach similar to Dart may not be suitable. However, he noted that there were other possible options.

"Having said that, we have plenty of time," he added, adding that it would be possible to employ many Dart-like hits to slightly alter the asteroid's route.

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