An international team of astronomers has sounded the alarm over a trio of massive asteroids orbiting near Venus that could strike Earth with little to no warning. The asteroids — 2020 SB, 524522, and 2020 CL1 — were identified as having unstable orbits that bring them dangerously close to Earth, according to a new study published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
Led by Valerio Carruba of São Paulo University in Brazil, the research reveals that these “co-orbital” asteroids — objects that orbit the sun along similar paths as Venus — may not be as harmless as previously thought. Although their orbits protect them from colliding with Venus, they remain vulnerable to gravitational nudges that could redirect them toward Earth.
Using simulations spanning 36,000 years, scientists discovered that even a minor change in their trajectory could send the asteroids on a deadly course. Each of the three rocks measures between 330 and 1,300 feet in diameter — large enough to wipe out entire cities and generate destruction on a scale not seen in human history.
If one were to strike Earth, it could leave a crater over two miles wide and release energy equivalent to one million Hiroshima bombs, triggering fires, tsunamis, and mass casualties.
What makes the threat more alarming is that their proximity to the sun — from Earth’s perspective — makes detection extremely difficult. Standard ground-based telescopes are effectively blinded by solar glare. According to the study, Earth-based observatories like Chile’s Rubin Observatory would have only two to four weeks’ notice of an incoming impact.
Researchers stress the need for a space-based mission near Venus to locate and monitor these potentially hazardous asteroids before it’s too late.
