ST. PETERSBURG, December 21 (RIA Novosti) - An asteroid, which is believed to be on a collision course with Mars, will not affect the Earth if it hits the 'Red' planet in January 2008, a Russian Academy of Science spokesman said on Friday.

Sergei Smirnov said the asteroid, which is traveling at 8 miles per second, was discovered in November by American scientists.

He said the explosion could be on a scale equal to the Tunguska event, when a meteorite, which crashed into central Siberia in 1908 caused destruction on a nuclear scale. The enigma still thrills scientists all over the world.

"It will not influence the Earth in any way," Smirnov said.

The scientist said that if the collision takes place, it will not be visible without high-definition telescopes, but would still provide valuable scientific data: "The object is sure to change its flight path, and this will considerably enrich our knowledge of the mass and density of asteroids."

He also said a large asteroid was expected to pass near Earth in 2028 which could cause a major disaster if it collides with the planet.