A new study warns that three large asteroids orbiting near Venus—hidden by the Sun’s glare—could potentially hit Earth within weeks, posing a major risk due to their difficult detectability.

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• The asteroids named 2020 SB, 524522, and 2002 CL1 share an orbit with Venus and remain nearly invisible to Earth-based telescopes because of the Sun’s brightness.
• Their orbits are unstable and could be disturbed by gravitational forces, possibly sending them on a collision course with Earth.
• If an impact occurs, it could create a crater over 3 kilometers wide and release energy up to a million times more powerful than the Hiroshima atomic bomb.
• The Chilean Rubin Observatory, which monitors such threats, might only detect these asteroids 2 to 4 weeks before impact, leaving very limited warning time.
• Planning and executing an asteroid deflection mission typically requires years, making short notice extremely challenging.
• The researchers highlight the unique challenge these Venus co-orbital asteroids present due to their hidden nature.
• The study suggests deploying a space mission near Venus to conduct dedicated observations and discover all potentially hazardous asteroids in that orbit.
• Detecting these invisible asteroids early is crucial for Earth’s defense against sudden asteroid strikes.