International Asteroid Day is annually celebrated on June 30 to raise awareness about space rocks and the importance of protecting our planet from potential asteroid impacts. When we look at the sky at night, we see the moon, stars and planets. However, there is much more in our solar system than these. There are rocky objects present in our social system that are the leftovers from when the planets were formed millions of years ago. These rocky objects are called asteroids, which are small rocky bodies that travel around the sun in a circular orbit. They are particularly found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and come in various shapes and sizes. They range from tiny grains to several hundred kilometres in diameter. LatestLY will provide you with several facts about asteroids that you might like to take a look at. Will the World End in 14 Years? NASA Asteroid Warning 2024 Post Recent Exercise Reveals Shocking Doomsday Scenario. 

International Asteroid Day History

The history of International Asteroid Day dates back to June 30, 1908. This happened when a massive asteroid hit the Earth at a speed of around 33,500 miles per hour, as per NASA. It exploded over Tunguska, Siberia, causing devastation in an area of 2,000 square kilometres. This explosion, known as the Tunguska event, demolished over 80 million trees and released energy, which was equivalent to 185 Hiroshima bombs, until a century later when the world began to realise the significance of this event and the potential threat it may cause to the Earth.

The World Asteroid Day idea was first proposed by Dr. Brian May, who was known for being the guitarist of Queen, along with Danica Remy, Rusty Schweickart, and filmmaker Grig Richters. The first official World Asteroid Day was observed, marking the anniversary of the Tunguska event. Later, in December 2016, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution that signified June 30 as International Asteroid Day to recall the 1908 crash in Siberia and spread awareness about it across the world.

  • Asteroids Are Surviving From the Day Solar System Was Born

When the solar system was forming billions of years ago, space dust and debris fused to form rocks and rubble. As the rocks churned, they collided with one another, merged and formed planets and moon. Asteroids are the leftover rubble from those times. They have remained unchanged over the years.

  • There Are Millions of Asteroids in the Solar System

After Jupiter was formed, its massive gravity kept the remaining millions of space rocks confined and prevented them from forming more planetary bodies between Mars and itself. These rubble remains in their pristine forms made up a rocky world known as the Asteroid Belt in the space between Mars and Jupiter. Millions of asteroids of different shapes and sizes travel around the circle in wide, elliptical orbits.

  • Some Asteroids Became the Moons of Planets

As the asteroids circulate the sun, they often collide with other planets. Some get pulled into a planet’s gravity and become their moons. Some moons of Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune have formed this way.

  • Asteroids Can Have Moons, Rings and Trails

As they are pieces of dust and rubble, they are tiny in size and a weak gravity. However, with smaller rocks coming in the periphery of a larger one, it gets pulled by the bigger one and becomes its moon. Besides, in 2013, scientists observed that asteroids could also have rings, which are nothing but streams of dust particles circling the asteroid. Also, two or more small asteroids fuse to form a tail-like extension of the asteroid.

  • Asteroids Are Rich in Minerals and Water

Asteroids are rich sources of carbon, silica and metal. Some of them also have water-rice trapped in rubble mass. Scientists report that asteroids frequently collided with planets in the early days, and they delivered some of these vital elements to the planets. They also believe that life on Earth could have started this way with carbon deposits.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 30, 2024 01:55 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).