2025-05-27T21:23:19Z

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Recent research has unveiled alarming findings about at least three city-destroying asteroids that may be lurking behind Venus, our closest planetary neighbor in the solar system. A study conducted by an international team of researchers from Brazil, France, and Italy has revealed that these asteroids, which cross or come perilously close to Earth’s orbit, are largely obscured from our view due to Venus obstructing our line of sight. This poses a potential risk of a catastrophic impact on our planet.

The researchers have identified three specific asteroids—designated as 2020 SB, 524522, and 2020 CL1—that travel in orbits dangerously close to Earth. Their research highlights a critical issue: these asteroids do not follow stable paths, meaning that any slight gravitational alteration could redirect their trajectories towards our planet.

The three asteroids range in size from 330 to 1,300 feet in diameter, making them formidable enough to cause widespread destruction and potentially trigger massive fires and tsunamis if they were to collide with a city.

The study points out that while the Rubin Observatory in Chile could have the capability to detect these deadly asteroids as they approach from the blind spot near Venus, the timeframe for making such observations would be alarmingly brief—just two to four weeks. This limited window of visibility emphasizes the urgency of developing better detection methods for such asteroids.

If one of these asteroids were to strike an urban area, the resulting crater could exceed two miles in width and release energy equivalent to more than one million times that of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945.

While most asteroids in the solar system are commonly found in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter, the research indicates that there is a growing number of asteroids that co-orbit with planets like Venus. This emerging group poses a growing concern for astronomers and scientists alike.

Led by Valerio Carruba from São Paolo University, the research team has focused on a category of asteroids known as Venus co-orbital asteroids. As per their report published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics, there are currently twenty known co-orbital asteroids that travel in sync with Venus's orbit around the Sun. While this synchronized movement allows these asteroids to avoid close encounters with Venus, it does not shield them from the possibility of colliding with Earth.

Essentially, these asteroids can be likened to dancers in a choreographed routine with Venus, safely maintained in their paths as they orbit the Sun together. However, the unpredictable nature of their trajectories means they could intersect with Earth’s orbital path, and a collision could occur if they align at the same point in the solar system.

The specific asteroids—2020 SB, 524522, and 2020 CL1—are particularly concerning due to their low Minimum Orbital Intersection Distance (MOID). This metric measures the closest proximity of an asteroid's orbit to that of Earth. For these three asteroids, the MOIDs are less than 0.0005 astronomical units (AU), which translates to about 46,600 miles—significantly closer than the average distance between the Earth and the Moon.

In an additional note of concern, earlier this year, NASA increased the likelihood of an asteroid impact on the Moon to four percent, following a prediction that the chance of a large asteroid impacting Earth had risen to 3.1 percent—the highest odds ever recorded for such an occurrence.

The researchers stressed that while efforts may lead to the detection of hazardous asteroids approaching from this obscure region near Venus, the narrow observation window significantly limits our capacity to track and prepare for potential threats.

They propose that launching a dedicated space probe towards Venus could be pivotal in mapping the hazardous asteroids that remain invisible from Earth's vantage point. This innovative approach could enhance our understanding of the risks posed by these celestial bodies.

Furthermore, in February, NASA ruled out the possibility of another asteroid, identified as 2024 YR4, colliding with Earth in 2032. Although this space rock measures around 200 feet in diameter, it still carries a 1-in-25 chance of impacting the Moon. If it were to strike the Moon, the resulting explosion would be at least 500 times more powerful than the atomic bomb that devastated Hiroshima.

Despite moving out of the immediate danger zone, scientists continue to monitor 2024 YR4 closely to ascertain its precise size and composition. Should it impact the Moon in seven years, the event would present a unique opportunity for scientists to observe a known asteroid create a lunar crater in real time.

The data gathered from such an impact could be invaluable for researchers, offering insights into the formation and characteristics of other craters on the lunar surface.