A group of scientists has warned that three big asteroids in Venus’ orbit could hit Earth in the next few weeks, causing a blast that is a million times stronger than the Hiroshima atomic bomb. A recent study in Astronomy & Astrophysics found that three asteroids near Venus—2020 SB, 524522, and 2020 CL1 — have unstable orbits that could lead them to Earth.
Under the direction of Valerio Carruba from São Paulo University, the team used computer simulations to follow the orbits of 36,000 years. They found out that small changes in gravity could make these asteroids head toward Earth. Venus is currently too far from Earth to cause any problems, but Earth is not protected. Asteroids can be as large as 1,300 feet across, and even the smallest ones could destroy a city, cause huge fires and tsunamis, and leave craters that are two miles wide.
It is even more dangerous because these space rocks are hard to notice. Because they are close to the sun, ground-based telescopes cannot see them. NASA’s most advanced tools can only detect these objects after they emerge from the sun’s light, which is usually about two to four weeks before impact, making it too late to plan a deflection mission.
The researchers noted that “low-eccentricity Venus co-orbitals are a unique challenge” and suggested that a dedicated space mission is needed to find PHAs in Venus’ orbit. If we do not take these steps, Earth could still be hit by dangerous space objects.
A single asteroid impact would release energy greater than anything humans have ever seen, the same as one million Hiroshima bombs. Experts are encouraging countries to join forces in planetary defense before a hidden threat strikes unexpectedly.
