Basic Information
International Asteroid Day is an annual event observed on 30 June to raise awareness about asteroids and what can be done to protect the Earth, its families, communities, and future generations from a catastrophic event.
Observed on: 30 June
Organized by: UN
Introduced in: 2016 (UN Declaration)
Observed: Worldwide
About International Asteroid Day
Every year June 30 is observed as International Asteroid Day. The day is also called as Asteroid Day. The date is an anniversary of Tunguska event that took place on June 30, 1908. It is considered to be the largest asteroid impact on Earth in recorded history. Asteroid Day is observed to raise awareness about asteroids and what can be done to protect the Earth, its families, communities, and future generations from a catastrophic event.
On 6 December 2016 the United Nations General Assembly declared 30 June as International Asteroid Day. The day is important as more than 1M asteroids have potential to impact Earth.
Activities and Programs on International Asteroid Day
Many astronauts and cosmonauts are participated in different activities on this day. United Nations different organizations, space agencies of different countries, many educational institutions or universities, were participating in this observation. Many events held on this includes lectures and other educational programs about asteroids.
There is a declaration called “100X Declaration”, which appeals to all scientists and technologists who are supporting the idea of saving the earth from asteroids. Now everyone can sign this declaration. The 100X Declaration calls for increasing the asteroid discovery rate to 100000 (or 100X) per year within the next 10 years. This gives to an awareness of the Earth’s vulnerability and realization that Asteroids hit Earth all the time.