Here's Why June 30 Is Celebrated As World Asteroid Day
The world celebrates June 30 as World Asteroid Day to commemorate the Tunguska event, a massive asteroid explosion that occurred over Russia's Siberia on the same day in 1908. This event is considered the largest asteroid impact in Earth's recent history, flattening around 2,000 square kilometres of forest and releasing energy equivalent to 185 Hiroshima bombs.
The event's remoteness led to a lack of immediate attention, both within Russia and globally. The first scientific expedition didn't reach the area until 1927, nearly 19 years after the event. Despite the delay, the expedition found extensive evidence of the asteroid's impact, including shock wave damage and heat blast effects.
World Asteroid Day aims to educate the public about asteroid risks and impact hazards. It encourages investment in space science and technology. The awareness also helps in developing strategies for asteroid detection, tracking and deflection. This year, the world celebrates the 10th anniversary of Asteroid Day.
UN adopted a resolution for asteroid awareness
The United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/71/90 in December 2016, declaring June 30 International Asteroid Day in order to recognise the global importance of asteroid impact awareness and the need for cooperation to prevent potential threats.
The decision by the General Assembly was taken after a proposal by the Association of Space Explorers, which was endorsed by the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).
International Year of Asteroid Awareness
The UN has declared 2029 the International Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defence, coinciding with the close approach of asteroid 99942 Apophis. On April 13, 2029, Apophis will safely pass within 32,000 kilometres of Earth's surface, closer than some geostationary satellites. It will be visible to the naked eye in parts of Europe, Africa and Western Asia.
Apophis is approximately 340 meters in diameter, roughly the size of three football fields. It is currently orbiting the Sun every 323 days, but its orbit will change after the 2029 flyby.
Apophis will appear as a bright, fast-moving point of light in the sky. Its close approach offers a rare opportunity for scientists to study asteroids.
NASA's DART mission
NASA has already tested planetary defence strategies with its Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) space mission. The DART mission was the first-ever mission aimed at demonstrating the kinetic impactor technique, a method of deflecting asteroids by intentionally crashing a spacecraft into them.
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