INTERNATIONAL (KXAN) — On June 30, 1908, an asteroid approximately 70 meters in diameter crashed in the wilds of the Tunguska region of Russia. The collision produced a 12-megaton explosion, flattening the surrounding forest.
Today, the Tunguska Event is used to mark Asteroid Day.
Recognized by the United Nations and celebrated around the world on June 30, Asteroid Day is meant to build awareness of the risks of asteroid impacts.
The effort was led in 2014 by physicist Stephen Hawking, asteroid defense company B612 co-founder Danica Remy, astronaut Rusty Schweickart, filmmaker Grigorij Richters and Queen guitarist Brian May.
What’s the point of Asteroid Day?
The purpose of the day and the initiative were laid out in a declaration developed in 2014.
- Employ available technology to detect and track Near-Earth Asteroids that threaten human populations via governments and private and philanthropic organizations.
- A rapid hundred-fold acceleration of the discovery and tracking of Near-Earth Asteroids to 100,000 per year within the next ten years.
- Global adoption of Asteroid Day, heightening awareness of the asteroid hazard and our efforts to prevent impacts, on June 30.
You can see the full declaration on the Asteroid Day website.
How to celebrate Asteroid Day
This year, multiple activities are taking place to mark the event. In Luxembourg, the Asteroid Day Festival is bringing experts and young scientists together to discuss science, asteroids and asteroid defense.
The event can be watched on the Asteroid Day website.
There were also numerous smaller events. The University of Memphis is hosting several lectures, as are the California Academy of Science and Michigan State University.
The Astronomy Show on Twitch will also be hosting a live stream on their channel.