Asteroid in 2040: NASA says it no longer poses a threat to Earth

NASA says an asteroid that was feared to be on a collision course with the Earth -- *no longer* poses a threat.

It had been believed that there was a one-percent chance that the asteroid -- known as "2011 A-G-5" -- would hit our planet in February 20-40.

But after observing the asteroid's future course, astronomers say that risk has been completely eliminated.

NASA says the asteroid will pass no closer than 553-thousand miles from the Earth.

Scientists say a collision with the Earth would have released about 100 megatons of energy.

That's several thousand times more powerful than the atomic bombs that ended World War Two.