A new study warns of three city-killer asteroids orbiting Venus, which could strike Earth within weeks. The asteroids, named 2020 SB, 524522, and 2020 CL1, are in close proximity to our planet due to unstable orbits that can be disrupted by small gravitational changes.
Researchers led by Valerio Carruba of São Paulo University simulated the potential outcomes of these asteroids using space rocks over a period of 36,000 years. They found that low-eccentricity asteroids, previously thought harmless, could be propelled toward Earth through gravitational shifts and other factors.
The current detection methods of NASA and other space agencies are insufficient due to the sun’s glare shielding these asteroids from view. The Rubin Observatory in Chile would have only two to four weeks to spot deadly asteroids, leaving limited time for response.
These asteroids measure between 330 and 1,300 feet in diameter and could destroy entire cities upon impact. An asteroid impact would generate 1 million times more energy than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945, leaving a crater over two miles wide.
To address this issue, researchers propose a dedicated space-based mission near Venus to map and discover potentially hazardous asteroids. However, it is essential that action is taken soon, as co-orbital asteroids’ orbits could become unpredictable within the next 150 years.
Source: https://nypost.com/2025/05/28/science/3-city-killing-asteroids-could-strike-earth-within-weeks-generating-a-million-times-more-energy-than-hiroshima-atomic-bomb