US EditionResearchers Warn Venus Co-Orbital Asteroids Could Endanger Earth
- Astronomers have identified 20 asteroids co-orbiting Venus that could potentially threaten Earth if they pass close enough.
- Researchers at So Paulo University studied these co-orbitals because their chaotic orbits could bring some within 0.05 astronomical units of Earth, classifying them as potentially hazardous asteroids.
- The team used long-term simulations to show many such asteroids have minimum orbital intersection distances with Earth below the hazard threshold and are difficult to detect due to observational constraints and solar glare.
- Carruba's research suggests that fully identifying all hidden hazardous co-orbital asteroids of Venus would likely require targeted observations from a spacecraft operating in Venus' orbit, as ground-based facilities like the Rubin Observatory have limited opportunities to detect these objects.
- This research implies planetary defense efforts must consider a currently under-observed population of Venus co-orbitals, suggesting new space missions near Venus could improve asteroid detection and impact risk assessment.
23 Articles
23 Articles
3 city-killing asteroids could strike Earth within weeks — generating a million times more energy than Hiroshima atomic bomb
International researchers warn that Venus is concealing at least three city-killer asteroids that could strike Earth in weeks without warning, potentially wreaking havoc upon our planet before we can react.
Venus could be hiding dangerous asteroids
For the past two decades, NASA has focused on identifying 90% of near-Earth objects that could pose a threat to our planet. The space agency has made steady progress in detecting dangerous asteroids that orbit close to Earth. However, new findings suggest we may have been overlooking a hidden threat in a surprising place: Venus. Astronomers have discovered a group of asteroids that co-orbit with Venus, traveling around the Sun along similar path…
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