World Asteroid Day (also known as International Asteroid Day) is an annual UN-sanctioned global awareness campaign event observed on June 30, which is the anniversary of the Siberian Tunguska event of 1908.
Why Asteroid Day?
International Asteroid Day aims to raise public awareness about the asteroid impact hazard and to inform the public about the crisis communication actions to be taken at the global level in case of a credible near-Earth object threat.
To provide knowledge to the general public about the importance of asteroids in history, and the role they play in our solar system today.
World Asteroid Day history
In December 2016, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution in order to "observe each year at the international level the anniversary of the Tunguska impact over Siberia, Russian Federation, on 30 June 1908, and to raise public awareness about the asteroid impact hazard.” Tunguska event is the most harmful known asteroid-related event on Earth in recent history.
An interesting variety of people co-founded the World Asteroid Day; among them are scientist Stephen Hawking, filmmaker Grigorij Richters, B612 Foundation President, Danica Remy, Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart and Brian May, guitarist of rock band Queen and astrophysicist.
Events In 2021
World Asteroid Day 2021 events will take place fully online due to the pandemic, on all five continents and are in the process of being organised by local organisations.
It will include interviews with scientists and speakers, it will explore how technologies have changed, what scientific surprises were waiting on the asteroids, and what the future has in store for asteroid research and planetary defence.
