International Asteroid Day is an annual celebration that is marked on June 30 across the world. The global event is also popularly known as International Asteroid Day and aims to raise awareness about asteroids and what can be done to protect the Earth and future generations from a catastrophic event. International Asteroid Day marks the anniversary of the Tunguska event in 1908, when a meteor air burst levelled about 2,150 km2 (830 sq mi) 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 in order to "observe each year at the international level the anniversary of the Tunguska impact over Siberia, Russian Federation and to raise public awareness about the asteroid impact hazard. As we celebrate Asteroid Day 2023, here’s all you need to know about the history and significance of the day. National Meteor Watch Day 2023 Date: Know History And Significance Of The Day That Highlights The Beauty Of Meteors.

International Asteroid Day 2023 Date

International Asteroid Day 2023 will be celebrated on Friday, June 30.

International Asteroid Day History

Asteroid Day was co-founded in 2014 by physicist Stephen Hawking, B612 Foundation president Danica Remy, Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart, filmmaker Grigorij Richters, and Queen guitarist and astrophysicist Brian May. Remy, Schweickart, Richters, and May announced the establishment of Asteroid Day during a press conference and initiated celebrating the day in October 2014. The workgroup of Asteroid Day had also created a declaration known as the ‘100X Declaration’, which appeals to all scientists and technologists who support the idea of saving the Earth from asteroids. The 100X Declaration was signed by more than 22,000 private citizens.

In December 2016, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted resolution A/RES/71/90, declaring June 30 International Asteroid Day. The day would be observed on an international level marking the anniversary of the Tunguska impact over Siberia, Russian Federation, on June 30, 1908, and raising public awareness about the asteroid impact hazard.

International Asteroid Day Significance

Asteroid Day is an important event that inspires people around the world about space and asteroids, their role of asteroids in the formation of our solar system, space exploration, space business, and the protection of our planet. The day is a perfect opportunity for the global space community to come together, educate and learn about space and planetary defence. 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.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 29, 2023 05:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).