A study has revealed that three asteroids capable of destroying entire cities could strike Earth within a few weeks, creating unpredictable chaos.
“Twenty co-orbital asteroids [space rocks orbiting two celestial bodies] of Venus are currently known,” warned the authors of the study published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
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The research team, led by Valerio Carruba from the University of São Paulo in Brazil, wrote that at least three of the asteroids (2020 SB, 524522, and 2020 CL1) have unstable orbits that would bring them dangerously close to Earth.
This means that a slight gravitational shift or any other force could alter the asteroids’ paths, potentially placing them on a collision course with our planet, according to the study.
“The co-orbital status protects these asteroids from close approaches to Venus, but does not prevent them from encountering Earth,” the researchers warned.
To make matters worse, the orbits of these cosmic rocks make them almost invisible to Earth-based detection devices, with Venus creating a sort of “interstellar blind spot.” So, if the asteroids are indeed heading toward Earth, it would likely happen with virtually no warning.
Asteroids 2020 SB, 524522, and 2020 CL1 range between 100 and 400 meters in diameter, making each capable of destroying entire cities and triggering massive fires and tsunamis.
Photo and video: Pixabay. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
