Overview

• Researchers have pinpointed three Venus co-orbitals—2020 SB, 524522 and 2002 CL1—ranging from 330 to 1,300 feet in diameter and capable of obliterating a city.
• Simulations indicate that slight gravitational perturbations from other bodies could divert their orbits onto a collision course with Earth.
• Their orbits are hidden in the Sun’s glare, making them undetectable by conventional telescopes and limiting Vera Rubin Observatory warnings to just two to four weeks.
• Chaotic orbital dynamics, with a Lyapunov time of about 150 years, prevent accurate long-term trajectory forecasts.
• Study authors urge a dedicated space-based observatory near Venus to fully map and monitor these stealth threats.