Venus might be hiding asteroids that could eventually intersect with Earth's trajectory

Venus hides asteroids possibly impacting Earth in millennia, urging new space monitoring.

: A recent study by astronomer Valerio Carruba suggests that Venus houses a hidden population of asteroids known as co-orbitals, which may interfere with Earth's orbit but not imminently. These objects, including Trojan asteroids and the quasi-moon Zoozve, exceed 460 feet in diameter and could cause significant damage if they collide with Earth. The study utilized simulations to predict asteroid behavior over 36,000 years, revealing potential but uncertain collision courses. The Vera Rubin Observatory will help detect these asteroids when it becomes operational in late 2025, while Valerio Carruba stresses a need for space-based observations.

Venus, Earth's nearest planetary neighbor, might be concealing a fleet of asteroids unknown to us. A study led by Valerio Carruba from São Paulo State University unveils that Venus is orbited by co-orbital objects such as Trojan asteroids and a quasi-moon named Zoozve. Each of these objects is over 460 feet in diameter, posing considerable risk if they find their way to Earth. At the moment, these space rocks are not an immediate threat. However, astronomers are reassessing planetary defenses since these objects have unpredictable orbits that gravitational forces around Venus could alter.

The study, currently pending peer review on the arXiv preprint server, involved modeling the orbits of hypothetical, less elongated asteroids over a timeline of 36,000 years. The research team, led by Carruba, noticed that some orbits could intersect with Earth’s trajectory. Yet, the chance of such a collision is uncertain. Presently, Venus's co-orbitals follow eccentric paths, occasionally detectable during specific observation periods. This study also discusses a past false alarm where an asteroid initially believed to have a slight chance of hitting Earth was later ruled safe.

The study finds that many more asteroids could be hiding near Venus due to low orbital eccentricities, obscuring them in the Sun’s glare. Carruba states, "None of these objects are on an imminent collision course with Earth," adding that such asteroids exhibit Lyapunov times—intervals at which their orbits become chaotic and unpredictable—of around 150 years. This chaotic behavior makes risk assessments based on single orbits unreliable, emphasizing the need for statistical models.

Efforts to tackle these threats may benefit significantly from the impending operations of the Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile, expected to start in late 2025. Its wide-field telescope could spot faint asteroids during brief visibility periods. Still, Carruba proposes that these ground-based solutions might not suffice. He suggests, "A dedicated space mission around Venus is vital for detecting all currently undetectable asteroids."

With NASA tasked two decades ago to track 90% of near-Earth asteroids, Carruba’s study underscores significant shortcomings in monitoring such celestial bodies tied to other planets like Venus. Existing tracking systems focus mainly on objects within 1.3 astronomical units of Earth, leaving crucial monitoring gaps. This revelation points to an urgent need to broaden observation parameters.

Sources: TechSpot, Live Science, arXiv

SpacescienceAsteroids