International Asteroid Day op 30 juni 2025
Asteroid Day (also known as International Asteroid Day) is an annual worldwide event held on June 30, when a meteorite impact destroyed a large forest in Siberia (Russia). Are you familiar with Wes Anderson's 2023 film: Asteroid City? In 2029 (whoever is alive then), it is the International Year of Asteroid Consciousness and Planetary Defense. You can read the reason for this day in this blog.
Asteroid Day
Asteroid Day (also known as International Asteroid Day) is an annual worldwide event held on June 30, the anniversary of the Tunguska event in 1908, when a meteorite impact destroyed approximately 2150 km² (830 square miles) of forest in Siberia (Russia).
In December 2016, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution A/RES/71/90, declaring June 30 as International Asteroid Day to 'commemorate annually at an international level the anniversary of the impact of Tunguska over Siberia, Russian Federation, on June 30, 1908, and to raise public awareness of the danger of asteroid impacts'. Tunguska is the largest asteroid to have struck Earth to date.
The day was also supported by scientist Stephen Hawking, filmmaker Grigory Richters, chairman of the B612 Foundation, Danica Remy, Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart and Brian May, guitarist of the rock band Queen and astrophysicist.
The aim of International Asteroid Day is to raise public awareness of the danger of asteroid impacts and to inform the public about the crisis communication measures that must be taken at a global level in the event of a real threat from a near-Earth object.
The decision of the General Assembly was taken based on a proposal from the Association of Space Explorers, which was approved by the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).
Asteroid Day (2018)
Hera is the European contribution to a mission involving two ESA-NASA spacecraft, designed to test whether a kinetic deflection technique can be used to shift the orbit of an asteroid. The mission's target is a binary asteroid system named Didymos, which will come within a relatively short distance of 11 million kilometers of Earth in 2022. The main body, with a diameter of 800 meters, is surrounded by a moon of 170 meters, informally called 'Didymoon'. In 2022, NASA will first perform a kinetic impact on the smaller of the two celestial bodies, after which Hera will conduct a detailed post-impact investigation. This will allow this large-scale experiment to develop into a well-understood and repeatable technique for planetary defense.
Hera will also collect crucial scientific data on asteroids as a whole by carefully studying the external and internal properties of both celestial bodies in the system. The spacecraft will also contain two six-unit cube satellites that will be placed near Didymos to perform multipoint measurements in a “mother-daughter” configuration for the first time ever. A new intersatellite link will be used to establish a flexible communications network to support short-range operations in very low gravity conditions, a crucial step for future exploration activities around small celestial bodies.
Hera, a further optimization of ESA's previously proposed Asteroid Impact Mission, is currently in Phase B1 of mission development in preparation for the Agency's European-level Council of Ministers meeting in late 2019.
Asteroid Day (2021)
The Austrian Post issued a stamp featuring an extraterrestrial stone; this stamp contained 0,03 grams of meteorite dust. The dust originated from a 19-kilogram stony meteorite found in Morocco in 2004. The meteorite consists of olivine, a mineral chemically defined as magnesium iron silicate. The gemstone peridot is an example of gem-quality olivine. The meteorite was ground into very fine dust, which was then manually applied to the stamp using a special adhesive. The stamp issue, named 'Mail From a Different World', was issued in a small sheet and a small folder. Part of the meteor's tail extends to the edge of this sheet. According to the Austrian Post, the unused part of the meteorite is on display at the Natural History Museum Vienna, which houses one of the largest collections of meteorites in the world.
Asteroid: a large rocky body in space, in an orbit around the sun. Meteoroid: much smaller rocks or particles in an orbit around the sun. Meteorite: If a small asteroid or large meteoroid survives its fiery passage through the Earth's atmosphere and lands on the Earth's surface, it is called a meteorite.
2029 — International Year of Asteroid Consciousness and Planetary Defense
On April 13, 2029, the asteroid 99942 Apophis will pass safely at a distance of approximately 32.000 kilometers above the Earth's surface, in geostationary orbit, without danger to the planet. This extremely close distance will make the asteroid visible to billions of people with the naked eye in the clear night sky. This is a once-in-a-lifetime event. millennium prevents and a unique opportunity for a global campaign to raise awareness about asteroids, their scientific value, their value as a resource, and the potential danger they pose.
In 2024, the General Assembly declared 2029 the International Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defence. With this, the General Assembly aims to capitalize on the approach of 99942 Apophis and raise global awareness about asteroids. Through this initiative, we wish to highlight the joint efforts of the Committee on the Peaceful Use of Space to mitigate the potential dangers of near-Earth asteroids. At the same time, we provide an opportunity for a global educational campaign.
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