Scientists are calling for a plan to deflect a 1200-foot asteroid named Apophis which has about a 1 in 5,500 chance of hitting Earth in 2036 (based on current observations) with its impact causing damage equivilent to 100,000 Hiroshima bombs.

They say there isn't much time left to decide what to do, as it could take decades to design, test, and build the needed technology.

Granted the odds are strongly in our favour but it gives one pause to think what will happen when the earth does get hit - because we know the earth has been hit before and we know it will be hit again. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when.