At least three massive asteroids, each large enough to destroy a city, could strike Earth in the coming weeks, claimed a new scientific study. According to The New York Post, the space rocks, named 2020 SB, 524522, and 2020 CL1, currently share Venus's orbit around the Sun.
An international research team, led by Valerio Carruba from São Paulo State University in Brazil, published their findings in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.
As of their latest calculations, they caution that even a tiny gravitational nudge could shift the asteroids onto a collision path with Earth.
Hidden Danger and Massive Power
In a concerning development, the asteroids are extremely hard to detect as they hide in the Sun's glare, creating a cosmic blind spot for Earth-based telescopes.
If one hit, the impact would be catastrophic and could blast a crater more than 3 kilometres (2 miles) wide. The energy released would be millions of times greater than the Hiroshima atomic bomb.
In the most dangerous prospect, asteroids this size (330 to 1,300 feet across) can obliterate cities and trigger massive fires and tsunamis.
Little Warning, Big Challenge
Since they are hidden by the Sun, early detection is nearly impossible. The powerful Rubin Observatory in Chile might only spot them 2-4 weeks before a potential impact, leaving almost no time to mount a defence mission, which typically takes years to plan.
Meanwhile, the study used simulations spanning 36,000 years. It found Venus's gravity protects these asteroids from hitting it, but not from hitting Earth. Many asteroids near Venus, once thought stable, could be knocked toward us.
Mohammed Imteshal Karim