Three massive asteroids hidden in Venus' shadow could hit Earth with force a million times greater than Hiroshima bomb
Asteroids
carrying energy over a million times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb could be on a potential collision course with Earth, warn scientists from Brazil, France, and Italy.
According to a new study published in Astronomy and Astrophysics, three massive asteroids—identified as 2020 SB, 524522, and 2020 CL1—have been hiding in a blind spot behind Venus, shielded from Earth-based telescopes by the Sun's intense glare. These so-called 'Venus co-orbitals' are now being monitored closely due to their alarming proximity to Earth's orbit.
City-Killer Threats Hiding in the Shadows
These asteroids, ranging in diameter from 330 to 1,300 feet, are large enough to wipe out entire cities if they were to impact Earth. Scientists estimate that an impact would create a crater over two miles wide, triggering catastrophic firestorms and tsunamis. The energy released could be more than a million times that of the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.
Unlike most near-Earth objects, these asteroids don't follow stable trajectories. Researchers warn that even minor gravitational changes—from a passing planet or another asteroid—could alter their paths, sending them hurtling toward Earth.
Minimal Distance, Maximum Risk
The three asteroids raise particular concern because of their Minimal Orbital Intersection Distance (MOID) — the closest point between their orbit and Earth's. All three have MOIDs of less than 0.0005 astronomical units (AU), putting them closer to Earth than the Moon at certain points in their orbit.
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"Their orbits sync with Venus, but that doesn't protect us. These objects can still intersect with Earth's path and potentially collide," said lead researcher Valerio Carruba from São Paulo State University.
Currently, 20 Venus co-orbital asteroids are known, but researchers believe many more remain hidden due to their location in Earth's observational blind spot.
A Call for Vigilance — and Action
While Earth-based telescopes like the upcoming Rubin Observatory in Chile might detect such asteroids, the reaction window is dangerously narrow—possibly just two to four weeks between detection and impact.
To improve early detection, scientists suggest deploying a dedicated space probe near Venus, capable of scanning the region currently invisible to telescopes on Earth.
"We need to map these hidden threats before it's too late," the researchers concluded.
Should We Be Worried?
Given their size, energy potential, and unpredictable orbits, these asteroids are not just theoretical threats. They are real and largely untracked hazards—cosmic wildcards that could, under the right conditions, strike Earth with devastating consequences.
For now, scientists continue to track them closely—but the study highlights an urgent need for better detection systems that go beyond Earth's line of sight.
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