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| Asteroid Day | |
|---|---|
 Asteroid Day logo | |
| Observed by | Worldwide |
| Type | United Nations |
| Date | June 30 |
| Frequency | Annual |
| First time | 30 June 2015; 10 years ago (2015-06-30) |
Asteroid Day (also known asInternational Asteroid Day) is an annual global event[1] which is held on June 30, the anniversary of theTunguska event in 1908 when a meteor air burst levelled about 2,150 km2 (830 sq mi) of forest inSiberia,Russia.[2][3][4]
Asteroid Day was cofounded in 2014 (the year after the2013 Chelyabinsk meteor air burst) by physicistStephen Hawking,B612 Foundation president Danica Remy,Apollo 9 astronautRusty Schweickart, filmmakerGrigorij Richters, andBrian 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, theUnited Nations proclaimed Asteroid Day be observed globally on June 30 every year in its resolution.[8] The event aims toraise awareness aboutasteroids and what can be doneto protect the Earth, its families, communities, and future generations from a catastrophic event.
On Asteroid Day 2017, minor planet 248750 (discoverer M. Dawson) was officially named Asteroidday by theInternational Astronomical Union.[9]
In 2014, the workgroup of Asteroid Day created a declaration known as the "100X Declaration", which appeals to allscientists and technologists who support the idea of saving the Earth from asteroids. The 100X Declaration was signed by more than 22,000 private citizens,[clarification needed] including those who are not specialists.[10][11][12][13]
Although more than 1,000,000 asteroids have the potential to strike theEarth, only about one percent have been discovered.[citation needed] The 100X Declaration calls for increasing the asteroid discovery rate to 100,000 (or 100x) per year within the next 10 years. It is hoped that this will bolster efforts for addressing potential strikes.[11]
The main three goals are:
According to information onasteroidday.org, there were over 2,000 events in its first five years of the day being announced, across 78 countries.[15] 41 astronauts and cosmonauts participated in activities on the day.[16] The general goal was to raise awareness about the threat posed by asteroid impacts. Institutions such asInstitut de Ciències de l'Espai,[17] theNatural History Museum in Vienna,[18] theAmerican Natural History Museum,[19] theCalifornia Academy of Sciences,[20] theScience Museum in London,[21] theSETI Institute,[22] theEuropean Space Agency,[23] theUK Space Agency,[24] among others participated in educational activities.
In February 2016, Romanian astronautDumitru Prunariu and theAssociation of Space Explorers submitted a proposal to the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of theUnited Nations that was accepted by the subcommittee, and in June 2016, theUnited Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space included the recommendation in its report. The report of the committee was presented for approval to the United Nations General Assembly's 71st session, which it approved on December 6, 2016.[25]
In its resolution, theUnited Nations declares "30 June International Asteroid Day to observe each year at the international level the anniversary of theTunguska impact overSiberia,Russian Federation on 30 June 1908 and to raisepublic awareness about the asteroid impact hazard."[26]
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