An asteroid larger than the Shard is set to pass Earth next month, according to Nasa.

Asteroid 2000 QW7 is between 290m and 650m long and will make its closest approach to Earth on 14 September.

By comparison, London’s tallest building measures 310m, while the world’s tallest building – the Burj Khalifa in Dubai – measures 828m.

Nasa’s Centre for Near Earth Object Studies revealed that the asteroid is travelling at a speed of about 14,400 miles per hour and will pass 3.3 million miles from Earth.

Any celestial material within 92.9 million miles is considered a near-Earth object.

Best Nasa pictures of the month - August 2019 Show all 10 1 /10 Best Nasa pictures of the month - August 2019 Best Nasa pictures of the month - August 2019 "When stars like the Sun grow advanced in age, they expand and glow red. These so-called red giants then begin to lose their outer layers of material into space. More than half of such a star's mass can be shed in this manner, forming a shell of surrounding gas. At the same time, the star's core shrinks and grows hotter, emitting ultraviolet light that causes the expelled gases to glow. This type of object is called, somewhat confusingly, a planetary nebula, though it has nothing to do with planets. The name derives from the rounded, planet-like appearance of these objects in early telescopes" - European Space Agency Nasa Best Nasa pictures of the month - August 2019 Two galaxies are seen interacting with one another. This pair of galaxies is known as UGC2369 and they are being drawn together by mutual gravitational attraction. Our own Milky Way galaxy is next expected to interact with another galaxy, the Andromeda, in four billion years. The two galaxies will eventually merge together to form a galaxy that scientists are already calling the Milkomeda Nasa Best Nasa pictures of the month - August 2019 Mount Shasta in California as seen from 260 miles above earth onboard the International Space Station Nasa Best Nasa pictures of the month - August 2019 The galaxy NGC 5866 is seen at a side angle. We're used to seeing galaxies face-on but NGC 5866 is at such an angle to earth that we can only see it edge-on Nasa Best Nasa pictures of the month - August 2019 The most recent portrait of Jupiter taken by the Hubble Telescope shows a more intense colour palette swirling in Jupiter's atmosphere than in recent years. The different colours of the bands help scientists to understand what is happening in Jupiter's atmosphere Nasa Best Nasa pictures of the month - August 2019 This artist's illustration depicts the exoplanet LHS 3844b, which is 1.3 times the mass of Earth and 49 lightyears away. The illustration is based on research by Nasa into this recently discovered planet Nasa Best Nasa pictures of the month - August 2019 A Soyuz spacecraft carrying carg and supplies comes in to dock in the International Space Station Best Nasa pictures of the month - August 2019 A planetary nebula (radiation emitted by a dying star) is seen in the Gemini constellation by the Hubble Telescope Nasa Best Nasa pictures of the month - August 2019 North coast of Africa by Libya and Tunisia as seen from 260 miles above earth onboard the International Space Station Nasa Best Nasa pictures of the month - August 2019 This image from Nasa's Solar Dynamic Observatory shows our Sun in a different light. In colour are active regions of the atmosphere of the Sun e.g. solar flares and coronal mass ejections Nasa

The Sun-orbiting asteroid passes Earth roughly every 20 years and last passed by on 1 September, 2000.

The US space agency said there was no risk of the asteroid colliding with Earth, but Nasa chief Jim Bridenstine has previously warned that there may be a deadly asteroid in the relatively near future.

“This is not about Hollywood, it’s not about the movies,” he said.

“This is ultimately about protecting the only planet we know, right now, to host life.”

Scientists believe an asteroid roughly 30 times the size of Asteroid 2000 QW7 was responsible for wiping out the dinosaurs.

Asteroid 2000 QW7 is roughly three-quarters the size of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai (CC)

It is difficult to predict if or when future asteroids might hit Earth but in 2029 astronomers will get a chance to study a space rock passing just 31,000km from Earth.

Asteroid 99942 Apophis is roughly the same size as the Asteroid 2000 QW7 but its proximity to Earth has earnt it the name “The God of Chaos”.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk recently echoed Nasa’s warning about the risks posed by such objects.

“Wouldn’t worry about this particular one,” Mr Musk tweeted, referring to the Apophis asteroid.

“But a big rock will hit Earth eventually and we currently have no defence.”

A meteor glowing as it enters the Earth's atmosphere (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Apophis will make another pass by Earth in 2068, which astronomers warn poses the most risk of a collision with Earth.

One idea to deal with such risks is to divert or slow down the asteroid by detonating nuclear weapons on its surface.

The closeness of Apophis will give scientists the chance to better understand how to deal with such threats.

“Apophis is a representative of about 2,000 currently known Potentially Hazardous Asteroids,” Paul Chodas, director of Nasa’s Centre for Near-Earth Objects Studies, said at Nasa’s annual Planetary Defence Conference last week.