With Hurricane Igor barrelling towards Bermuda interest overseas and even in outer space mounts.

Nasa has said Igor is "monstrous" and its 550-mile span is equivalent to a ten-hour drive.

As of press time Igor was a Category 4 hurricane. With Hurricane Julia, which is not currently a threat to Bermuda, also swirling around the Atlantic Nasa, said: "To have a pair of Category 4 hurricanes in the Atlantic at the same date and time is very rare. This last occurred on September 16, 1926!"

So big is the storm that astronauts have dubbed it "Igor the terrible".

According to Space.com American astronaut Douglas Wheelock, who is on the international space station, which flew 220 miles above the storm, said: "We looked right into the eye of Hurricane Igor, which is absolutely fantastic, the view.

"We could see the water of the Atlantic Ocean right down through the eye, and it was spectacular. It really just takes your breath away ... no words to describe it."

They posted a photo of what they saw with their nickname for the storm online.

And the Bahamas Tribune had this to say: "Boaters and swimmers are being warned to watch out for high waves, sea swells and rip currents as category four Hurricane Igor passes to the east of the Bahamas in the next few days.

"There were some misleading reports on certain US cable news channels yesterday which suggested Hurricane Igor was "headed for the Bahamas", however, it appears the broadcasters were making the common mistake of interchanging Bermuda and Bahamas."

Al Jazeera English reported: "Its current track appears to be taking it straight towards Bermuda. If it makes a direct hit, this would be disastrous. Not only would it bring flooding rains and damaging winds, but also a storm surge, devastating for a small island with a highest point of just 76 metres."

Meanwhile The Daily Telegraph made no mention of the threat to Bermuda: "The hurricane was not expected to make landfall for days but forecasters said storm swells would reach Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and part of the Bahamas."

Perhaps they too were mixing up their islands.