Latest news with #Earthly
Sky News AU
2 days ago
- Science
- Sky News AU
Three 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 & Astrophysics.' The international research team, led by Valerio Carruba of São Paulo 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. If this shaky trajectory is shifted only slightly by a small gravitational change or other force, the asteroids could be set on a collision course with our planet, per the study. '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 & 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. To make matters worse, the aforementioned cosmic rocks' orbits make them almost invisible to Earthly detection devices. While scientists at NASA and other space agencies routinely track potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroids, the telescopes can't spot rocks in a suborbital path with Venus due to the sun's glare, which shields them like a cosmic cloaking device, WION reported. Due to this interstellar blind spot, 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. '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 wrote 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 1 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 more than 150 years — a blip in the interstellar timescale. Originally published as Three city-killing asteroids could strike Earth within weeks - generating a million times more energy than Hiroshima atomic bomb
Economic Times
2 days ago
- Science
- Economic Times
Three 'invisible' city-killer asteroids could strike earth within weeks, scientists warn- here's all about them
Three huge asteroids could hit Earth, and a group of astronomers is sounding the alarm. They could cause destruction on a scale never seen before. These asteroids are almost invisible because of the sun's glare. Scientists say that three asteroids are orbiting Venus and could hit Earth in a matter of weeks because their paths are unstable. The three city-killer asteroids that Venus is hiding could cause catastrophic damage before we can respond, as per a report by The NY Post. The authors of the arockcalyptic study, which was published in the journal "Astronomy & Astrophysics," cautioned that there are currently 20 co-orbital asteroids of to the Daily Mail, at least three of the asteroids that orbit the sun in tandem with our twin planet, 2020 SB, 524522, and 2020 CL1, have unstable orbits that bring them dangerously close to Earth, according to the international research team headed by Valerio Carruba of São Paulo University in to the study, the asteroids might be put on a collision course with Earth if this unstable trajectory is only marginally altered by a slight change in gravity or another force. A collision with one of these intergalactic gravelstones would be bad. They could release energy millions of times stronger than the Hiroshima bomb and would produce a crater more than two miles in diameterWith diameters ranging from 330 to 1,300 feet, asteroids 2020 SB, 524522, and 2020 CL1 have the potential to completely destroy cities and trigger devastating fires and tsunamis, according to the Daily to the Daily Galaxy, the researchers cautioned that while co-orbital status shields these asteroids from near-close encounters with Venus, it does not shield them from coming into contact with simulating a variety of potential outcomes over 36,000 years using imitation space rocks, Carruba & Co. arrived at this conclusion. They discovered that a significant population of low-eccentricity asteroids, which were previously believed to be harmless, could be driven toward Earth by gravitational shifts and other orbits of the cosmic rocks make them nearly invisible to Earthly detection equipment, which exacerbates the sun's glare acts as a cosmic cloaking device, preventing the telescopes from detecting rocks in a suborbital path with Venus, even though NASA and other space agencies regularly track potentially dangerous near-Earth asteroids, according to WION. ALSO READ: Kylie Jenner feels jealous and insecure about her Kardashian sisters, fears they might snatch away boyfriend Timothée The Chilean Rubin Observatory would only have two to four weeks to detect deadly asteroids because of this interstellar blind spot, which would leave us little time if they were headed straight for typically takes years to plan a mission to engineer something that could deflect a killer space authors concluded that "Low-e Venus co-orbitals pose a unique challenge because of the difficulties in detecting and following these objects from Earth." The authors stated that they thought that the only way to map and find all of the still "invisible" PHAs (potentially hazardous asteroids) among Venus' co-orbital asteroids would be to conduct a focused observational campaign from a space-based mission close to the planet. Will these asteroids actually hit Earth soon? Yes, scientists believe three Venus-orbiting asteroids could strike Earth in weeks due to their unstable orbits. Why don't we see them coming? The sun's glare obscures them from Earth-based telescopes, making early detection difficult.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
Three 'invisible' city-killer asteroids could strike earth within weeks, scientists warn- here's all about them
Three huge asteroids could hit Earth, and a group of astronomers is sounding the alarm. They could cause destruction on a scale never seen before. These asteroids are almost invisible because of the sun's glare. Scientists say that three asteroids are orbiting Venus and could hit Earth in a matter of weeks because their paths are unstable. The three city-killer asteroids that Venus is hiding could cause catastrophic damage before we can respond, as per a report by The NY Post. The authors of the arockcalyptic study, which was published in the journal "Astronomy & Astrophysics," cautioned that there are currently 20 co-orbital asteroids of Venus. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: 1 simple trick to get all TV channels Techno Mag Learn More Undo What does the study reveal? According to the Daily Mail, at least three of the asteroids that orbit the sun in tandem with our twin planet, 2020 SB, 524522, and 2020 CL1, have unstable orbits that bring them dangerously close to Earth, according to the international research team headed by Valerio Carruba of São Paulo University in Brazil. According to the study, the asteroids might be put on a collision course with Earth if this unstable trajectory is only marginally altered by a slight change in gravity or another force. Live Events How much damage could they really cause? A collision with one of these intergalactic gravelstones would be bad. They could release energy millions of times stronger than the Hiroshima bomb and would produce a crater more than two miles in diameter With diameters ranging from 330 to 1,300 feet, asteroids 2020 SB, 524522, and 2020 CL1 have the potential to completely destroy cities and trigger devastating fires and tsunamis, according to the Daily Mail. According to the Daily Galaxy, the researchers cautioned that while co-orbital status shields these asteroids from near-close encounters with Venus, it does not shield them from coming into contact with Earth. By simulating a variety of potential outcomes over 36,000 years using imitation space rocks, Carruba & Co. arrived at this conclusion. They discovered that a significant population of low-eccentricity asteroids, which were previously believed to be harmless, could be driven toward Earth by gravitational shifts and other factors. Why are these asteroids so hard to detect? The orbits of the cosmic rocks make them nearly invisible to Earthly detection equipment, which exacerbates the situation. The sun's glare acts as a cosmic cloaking device, preventing the telescopes from detecting rocks in a suborbital path with Venus, even though NASA and other space agencies regularly track potentially dangerous near-Earth asteroids, according to WION. ALSO READ: Kylie Jenner feels jealous and insecure about her Kardashian sisters, fears they might snatch away boyfriend Timothée What can be done to stop them? The Chilean Rubin Observatory would only have two to four weeks to detect deadly asteroids because of this interstellar blind spot, which would leave us little time if they were headed straight for collision. It typically takes years to plan a mission to engineer something that could deflect a killer space rock. The authors concluded that "Low-e Venus co-orbitals pose a unique challenge because of the difficulties in detecting and following these objects from Earth." The authors stated that they thought that the only way to map and find all of the still "invisible" PHAs ( potentially hazardous asteroids ) among Venus' co-orbital asteroids would be to conduct a focused observational campaign from a space-based mission close to the planet. FAQs Will these asteroids actually hit Earth soon? Yes, scientists believe three Venus-orbiting asteroids could strike Earth in weeks due to their unstable orbits. Why don't we see them coming? The sun's glare obscures them from Earth-based telescopes, making early detection difficult.
New York Post
3 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.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Mysterious white streak outshines aurora, and it didn't come from space
The northern lights appeared in the sky over the United States on May 17, and onlookers were stunned when a bright white light outshone the purple and pink glow of the aurora. The mysterious light was reported by people across the western U.S. from New Mexico to Idaho. Turns out, it had Earthly origins. About an hour before the mysterious white streak appeared, China launched a rocket to deliver six satellites into space. The light is believed to have been from a rocket on the engine, or the spent rocket releasing leftover fuel before burning up in Earth's atmosphere. The rocket-created light show reminded some stargazers of STEVE, an aurora-like light in the sky which shines as a narrow ribbon of color, as opposed to the aurora borealis which is usually a colorful glow over a broad area of the sky. Mike Lewinski captured a time-lapse of the eerie light when it appeared over Crestone, Colorado, and was stunned by the sight. "The aurora was rippling low on the northern horizon when suddenly a bright streak of light, reminiscent of a rocket re-entry, appeared high in the sky and flowed down to the horizon," Lewinski told The time-lapse also captured several airplanes and dozens of satellites flying overhead.
