Latest news with #AstronomyandAstrophysics
NDTV
3 days ago
- Science
- NDTV
3 'City-Killer' Asteroids Could Strike Earth In Weeks, Say Scientists
At least three large asteroids, powerful enough to destroy an entire city, could be on a collision course with Earth in the coming weeks, a new study has warned. Published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics, the study highlights the threat posed by three space rocks-named 2020 SB, 524522, and 2002 CL1-which currently share an orbit with Venus. According to the international research team led by Valerio Carruba from Sao Paulo State University in Brazil, these asteroids are hidden in the Sun's glare, making them nearly impossible to detect with telescopes on Earth. While their current paths don't bring them close to Venus, researchers caution that even a minor gravitational disturbance could shift their orbits toward Earth, with potentially catastrophic consequences. If one were to strike, the impact could create a crater more than 3 kilometres wide and release energy up to a million times greater than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Fox News reported. "These co-orbital asteroids are protected from close encounters with Venus, but not with Earth," the researchers said, as quoted by The Daily Galaxy. The objects are especially dangerous because their position relative to the Sun acts like a cosmic blind spot, making last-minute detection extremely difficult. The Rubin Observatory in Chile, which monitors such threats, would have just two to four weeks' notice before any potential impact. The study suggests that only a dedicated space-based mission near Venus could effectively detect these hidden, potentially hazardous asteroids.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
Three massive asteroids hidden in Venus' shadow could hit Earth with force a million times greater than Hiroshima bomb
Asteroids carrying energy over a million times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb could be on a potential collision course with Earth, warn scientists from Brazil, France, and Italy. According to a new study published in Astronomy and Astrophysics, three massive asteroids—identified as 2020 SB, 524522, and 2020 CL1—have been hiding in a blind spot behind Venus, shielded from Earth-based telescopes by the Sun's intense glare. These so-called 'Venus co-orbitals' are now being monitored closely due to their alarming proximity to Earth's orbit. City-Killer Threats Hiding in the Shadows These asteroids, ranging in diameter from 330 to 1,300 feet, are large enough to wipe out entire cities if they were to impact Earth. Scientists estimate that an impact would create a crater over two miles wide, triggering catastrophic firestorms and tsunamis. The energy released could be more than a million times that of the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. Unlike most near-Earth objects, these asteroids don't follow stable trajectories. Researchers warn that even minor gravitational changes—from a passing planet or another asteroid—could alter their paths, sending them hurtling toward Earth. Minimal Distance, Maximum Risk The three asteroids raise particular concern because of their Minimal Orbital Intersection Distance (MOID) — the closest point between their orbit and Earth's. All three have MOIDs of less than 0.0005 astronomical units (AU), putting them closer to Earth than the Moon at certain points in their orbit. Live Events "Their orbits sync with Venus, but that doesn't protect us. These objects can still intersect with Earth's path and potentially collide," said lead researcher Valerio Carruba from São Paulo State University. Currently, 20 Venus co-orbital asteroids are known, but researchers believe many more remain hidden due to their location in Earth's observational blind spot. A Call for Vigilance — and Action While Earth-based telescopes like the upcoming Rubin Observatory in Chile might detect such asteroids, the reaction window is dangerously narrow—possibly just two to four weeks between detection and impact. To improve early detection, scientists suggest deploying a dedicated space probe near Venus, capable of scanning the region currently invisible to telescopes on Earth. "We need to map these hidden threats before it's too late," the researchers concluded. Should We Be Worried? Given their size, energy potential, and unpredictable orbits, these asteroids are not just theoretical threats. They are real and largely untracked hazards—cosmic wildcards that could, under the right conditions, strike Earth with devastating consequences. For now, scientists continue to track them closely—but the study highlights an urgent need for better detection systems that go beyond Earth's line of sight.
New York Post
4 days ago
- Science
- New York Post
3 city-killing asteroids could strike Earth within weeks — generating a million times more energy than Hiroshima atomic bomb
Good things don't come in threes. Venus is concealing at least three city-killer asteroids that could strike Earth in weeks without warning, potentially wreaking havoc upon our planet before we can react. 'Twenty co-orbital asteroids (space rocks in the orbit of two celestial bodies) of Venus are currently known,' the authors warned in the arockcalyptic study, which was published in the journal 'Astronomy and Astrophysics.' Advertisement The international research team, led by Valerio Carruba of Sao Paolo University in Brazil, wrote that at least three of the asteroids — 2020 SB, 524522, and 2020 CL1 — that circle the Sun in tandem with our twin planet have unstable orbits that take them dangerously close to Earth, The Daily Mail reported. 3 An asteroid streaking toward Earth. 'We aim to assess the possible threat that the yet undetected population of Venus co-orbiters may pose to Earth, and to investigate their detectability from Earth and space observatories,' the authors wrote. Vadimsadovski – If this shaky trajectory is shifted only slightly by a small gravitational change or other force, they could be set on a collision course with our planet, per the study. Advertisement 'Co-orbital status protects these asteroids from close approaches to Venus, but it does not protect them from encountering Earth,' the researchers warned, according to the Daily Galaxy. Carruba and co came to this conclusion by using imitation space rocks to simulate a range of possible outcomes over 36,000 years, finding that there is a sizable population of low-eccentricity asteroids — those previously thought to be harmless — that could be propelled toward Earth via gravitational shifts and other factors. 3 Venus (pictured) is concealing the space rocks in its orbit. revers_jr – To make matters worse, the aforementioned cosmic rocks' orbits make them almost invisible to Earthly detection devices. Advertisement While scientists at NASA and other space agencies routinely track potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroids, the telescopes can't spot rocks in a sub-orbital path with Venus due to the sun's glare, which shields them like a cosmic cloaking device, WION reported. 3 A diagram showing the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. NASA/LPI Due to this interstellar blindspot, the Rubin Observatory in Chile would have only two to four weeks to spot deadly asteroids, leaving us little time if they were on a collision course. For reference, a mission to engineer something that could deflect a killer space rock generally takes years to formulate. Advertisement 'Low-e (low eccentricity) Venus co-orbitals pose a unique challenge, because of the difficulties in detecting and following these objects from Earth,' the authors write in their conclusion. It would be bad news if one of these intergalactic gravelstones hit home. Asteroids 2020 SB, 524522, and 2020 CL1, measure between 330 and 1,300 feet in diameter, making each one capable of destroying entire cities and causing massive fires and tsunamis, the Daily Mail reported. An impact would leave a crater over two miles wide and generate one million times more energy than the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan in 1945. Unfortunately, due to the constraints of terrestrial monitoring equipment, we may have to look to the stars for a solution. 'We believe that only a dedicated observational campaign from a space-based mission near Venus could potentially map and discover all the still 'invisible' PHA (potentially hazardous asteroids) among Venus' co-orbital asteroids,' the authors wrote. However, the powers that be better hurry as researchers predict that co-orbital asteroids' orbits could become unpredictable in just over 150 years — a blip in the interstellar timescale.
Economic Times
22-05-2025
- Science
- Economic Times
Astronomers observe largest ever sample of galaxies up to over 12 billion light years away: Study
The largest sample of galaxy groups ever detected has been presented by a team of international astronomers using data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in an area of the sky called COSMOS Web. The study marks a major milestone in extragalactic astronomy, providing unprecedented insights into the formation and evolution of galaxies and the large-scale structure of the universe. Peering back in time to when the universe was younger than the Earth is now, the images span the period from around twelve billion years ago until one billion years new catalogue of images, soon to be published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics (A&A), includes nearly 1,700 galaxy research group's impressive image of a galaxy cluster over six billion light years away is currently showcased as the European Space Agency's (ESA) picture of the month. "We're able to actually observe some of the first galaxies formed in the universe," says Ghassem Gozaliasl of Aalto University, and head of the galaxy groups detection team who led the study."We detected 1,678 galaxy groups or proto-clusters -- the largest and deepest sample of galaxy groups ever detected -- with the James Webb Space Telescope. With this sample, we can study the evolution of galaxies in groups over the past 12 billion years of cosmic time," added Gozaliasl. The James Webb Space Telescope began operating in 2022. The largest telescope in space, with its higher resolution and greater sensitivity, has enabled astronomers to see farther and better than ever before. Because light travels at a finite speed, the further away an object is, the further back in time our image of it. By observing very faint, very distant galaxies -- the faintest galaxies in this dataset are one billion times dimmer than the human eye can see -- the team got a glimpse of what galaxies looked like in the early universe, Gozaliasl said. Gozaliasl explains that galaxy groups and clusters are rich environments filled with dark matter, hot gas, and massive central galaxies that often host supermassive black holes. "The complex interactions between these components play a crucial role in shaping the life cycles of galaxies and driving the evolution of the groups and clusters themselves. By uncovering a more complete history of these cosmic structures, we can better understand how these processes have influenced the formation and growth of both massive galaxies and the largest structures in the universe," added Gozaliasl.
NDTV
22-05-2025
- Science
- NDTV
Largest Sample Of Galaxies Up To Over 12 Billion Light Years Away Observed
Helsinki: The largest sample of galaxy groups ever detected has been presented by a team of international astronomers using data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in an area of the sky called COSMOS Web. The study marks a major milestone in extragalactic astronomy, providing unprecedented insights into the formation and evolution of galaxies and the large-scale structure of the universe. Peering back in time to when the universe was younger than the Earth is now, the images span the period from around twelve billion years ago until one billion years ago. The new catalogue of images, soon to be published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics (A&A), includes nearly 1,700 galaxy groups. The research group's impressive image of a galaxy cluster over six billion light years away is currently showcased as the European Space Agency's (ESA) picture of the month. "We're able to actually observe some of the first galaxies formed in the universe," says Ghassem Gozaliasl of Aalto University, and head of the galaxy groups detection team who led the study. "We detected 1,678 galaxy groups or proto-clusters -- the largest and deepest sample of galaxy groups ever detected -- with the James Webb Space Telescope. With this sample, we can study the evolution of galaxies in groups over the past 12 billion years of cosmic time," added Gozaliasl. The James Webb Space Telescope began operating in 2022. The largest telescope in space, with its higher resolution and greater sensitivity, has enabled astronomers to see farther and better than ever before. Because light travels at a finite speed, the further away an object is, the further back in time our image of it. By observing very faint, very distant galaxies -- the faintest galaxies in this dataset are one billion times dimmer than the human eye can see -- the team got a glimpse of what galaxies looked like in the early universe, Gozaliasl said. Gozaliasl explains that galaxy groups and clusters are rich environments filled with dark matter, hot gas, and massive central galaxies that often host supermassive black holes. "The complex interactions between these components play a crucial role in shaping the life cycles of galaxies and driving the evolution of the groups and clusters themselves. By uncovering a more complete history of these cosmic structures, we can better understand how these processes have influenced the formation and growth of both massive galaxies and the largest structures in the universe," added Gozaliasl.
