Is a Hidden Danger Orbiting Venus? New Study Reveals Alarming Findings!

Two decades ago, Congress tasked NASA with locating 90% of the near-Earth asteroids that might endanger our planet. They’ve found many, especially those within 1.3 astronomical units of Earth. However, new findings suggest we may need to look beyond these. Researchers are now identifying asteroids that orbit alongside Venus, potentially increasing the risk to Earth.

A recent study, “The Invisible Threat: Assessing the Collisional Hazard Posed by the Undiscovered Venus Co-Orbital Asteroids,” explores this issue. Led by Valerio Carruba from São Paolo University, the research highlights the challenges in tracking these asteroids because they can be obscured by the Sun’s glare and may vary in brightness.

Currently, only 20 co-orbital asteroids around Venus are known. These asteroids are classified as potentially hazardous if they are about 140 meters wide and come within 0.05 astronomical units of Earth’s path. The authors express concern about the threat these asteroids may pose. Only one of the known asteroids has a stable orbit that makes it easier to track, suggesting there could be many more harder-to-detect asteroids lurking out there.

The unpredictability of co-orbital asteroids makes them particularly challenging to monitor. As Carruba notes, their “Lyapunov time” is around 150 years. This means their future orbits become chaotic and hard to predict over long periods. To understand them better, the researchers used a model with 26 simulated asteroids and analyzed their paths over 36,000 years.

The study found many orbits with eccentricities lower than 0.38 that could bring Venus’s co-orbital asteroids into close contact with Earth. They also discovered that the best times to observe these asteroids are limited due to solar glare. The upcoming Vera Rubin Observatory may help detect some of these asteroids, but certain conditions need to be met to observe them effectively.

For a more reliable understanding, sending a spacecraft into Venus’s orbit could offer a clearer view of these hidden bodies. Previous missions have aimed for locations like the Sun-Earth or Sun-Venus L1 or L2 positions, which might enhance detection capabilities.

According to estimates from NASA, while many asteroids exist in our solar system, a significant number are capable of causing massive destruction if they collide with Earth. A 150-meter asteroid can strike with the force of hundreds of megatons of TNT, far more powerful than the atomic bombs used in World War II.

The current landscape of asteroid detection shows a growing awareness of the hidden dangers. Studies suggest we will need to ramp up efforts to find these asteroids co-orbiting Venus. Future dedicated observational campaigns, possibly from space missions, could pave the way for mapping and understanding this elusive population.

As scientists refine their detection methods, we stand to benefit not just from understanding the cosmos but from safeguarding our planet as well.

This article was originally published by Universe Today. Read the original article.

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