This weekend the night sky is set to dazzle with up to 150 shooting stars per hour as the comet orbits.
But experts are warning the rock will come “perilously close” to our planet releasing the equivalent of 20,000,000 hydrogen bombs exploding.
The comet completes its orbit around the sun every 133 years – and in 2,400 years it could cause an impact with 30 times the energy of that which killed the dinosaurs.
It would bring the worst mass extinction Earth has seen in hundreds of millions of years.
***Perseid meteor shower: Thousands share their pictures of ‘BEAUTIFUL’ shooting stars***
In a new post for the Forbes blog Starts With a Bang, astrophysicist Ethan Siegel explains that the sheer size and speed of Comet Swift-Tuttle would set our planet up for major catastrophe if a collision were to happen.
The fast-moving comet is 16 miles wide.
According to Siegal, the comment hasn’t crossed into the inner solar system since 1991, and isn’t set to do so again until 2126.
“With every pass into the inner solar system, there’s a chance that one of the gas giant planets will influence this comet’s orbit”, he wrote.
“There’s a chance that, just like the Perseid stream was thrust into Earth’s orbital path this year, someday in the future, this comet will achieve a collision course with Earth.”
For the next 2,000 years, this particular comet poses little threat to Earth and its inhabitants, Siegal assures.
But, eventually, a gravitational nudge from Jupiter could push it off its course, resulting in a number of possible scenarios.
It could be sent hurtling into the sun, or even be ejected from the solar system, Siegel explains.
Or, it could end up plunging toward Earth.
“One tiny, almost imperceptible gravitational tug could be the end of the era of the mammals,” Siegel concludes.
“After tens of millions of years of relative peace within our galaxy, one errant comet could do us all in.’”
Experts say if a large asteroid were to smash into Earth, it would create an extinction level event, meaning humans are toast.
The impact would equal the explosion of numerous atomic bombs, triggering effects similar to those that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.
It comes after Daily Star Online revealed an extremely rare total solar eclipse this month is a sign a fabled "giant hidden planet" with collide with Earth.
The Perseid shower is expected to last until August 24.
