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Asteroid Day | |
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Observed by | Worldwide |
Type | United Nations |
Date | June 30 |
Frequency | Annual |
First time | 30 June 2015 |
Asteroid Day (also known as International Asteroid Day) is an annual global event[1] which is held on June 30, 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.[2][3][4]
Asteroid Day was cofounded in 2014 (the year after the 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor air burst) by physicist Stephen Hawking, B612 Foundation president Danica Remy, Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart, filmmaker Grigorij Richters, and Brian May (Queen guitarist and astrophysicist).[4][5] Remy, Schweickart, Richters, and May initiated[clarification needed] Asteroid Day in October 2014, which they announced during a press conference.[6] It was launched[clarification needed] on December 3, 2014.[7]
In 2016, the United Nations proclaimed Asteroid Day be observed globally on June 30 every year in its resolution.[8] The event aims to raise awareness about asteroids and what can be done to protect the Earth, its families, communities, and future generations from a catastrophic event.