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Let's celebrate International Asteroid Day on June 30 to recognize the importance of asteroids and the need to protect our planet from potential impacts! This day was created in 2014 to mark the anniversary of Earth's largest asteroid impact, which occurred in 1908 near Tunguska, Siberia. Although this event caused significant destruction, it also highlighted the need for continued research and education about asteroids so that we can better understand their behaviour and use them to our benefit. Join us in celebrating this important day with activities that explore outer space!
<div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date-text'>1908</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Tunguska Event</div><div class='timeline-text'>The largest Earth's asteroid impact event happened near Tunguska, Siberia, leading to significant destruction and marking the importance of understanding asteroid behavior.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date-text'>1980</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Alvarez Hypothesis</div><div class='timeline-text'>Luis Alvarez and his son Walter proposed the theory that an asteroid impact caused the extinction of dinosaurs, highlighting the potential catastrophic impact of asteroids.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date-text'>1998</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>NASA's Asteroid Search Initiative</div><div class='timeline-text'>NASA started a systematic effort, the Near Earth Asteroid Tracking (NEAT) program, to find and catalog asteroids that could pose a threat to Earth.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date-text'>2005</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Mandatory Spaceguard Survey</div><div class='timeline-text'>U.S. Congress mandated NASA to discover 90% of near-Earth objects larger than 140 meters in diameter, enhancing global awareness on asteroid threats.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date-text'>2014</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Asteroid Day Proclamation</div><div class='timeline-text'>Famed astrophysicist Dr. Brian May, along with other distinguished individuals, officially proclaimed June 30 as International Asteroid Day, aimed to raise public knowledge and awareness of asteroids.</div></div></div>
<div id='' class='facts-item'><div id='' class='facts-header'><h3 id='' class='facts-number'>1</h3></div><div id='' class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 id='' class='facts-title'>Observe Asteroids</h3><p id='' class='facts-text'>Take some time to observe asteroids in the sky. Look for bright stars and then look for small specks of light that move against the starry background, as these are asteroids.</p></div></div><div id='' class='facts-item'><div id='' class='facts-header'><h3 id='' class='facts-number'>2</h3></div><div id='' class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 id='' class='facts-title'>Make an Asteroid Model</h3><p id='' class='facts-text'>Gather some craft materials like clay, paint, and glitter and make an asteroid model. You can use your imagination to create a realistic looking asteroid or a colorful masterpiece.</p></div></div><div id='' class='facts-item'><div id='' class='facts-header'><h3 id='' class='facts-number'>3</h3></div><div id='' class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 id='' class='facts-title'>Watch an Asteroid Movie</h3><p id='' class='facts-text'>Take some time to watch a movie about asteroids. There are plenty of movies out there that feature asteroids as a main part of the plot.</p></div></div><div id='' class='facts-item'><div id='' class='facts-header'><h3 id='' class='facts-number'>4</h3></div><div id='' class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 id='' class='facts-title'>Read About Asteroids</h3><p id='' class='facts-text'>Visit the library or your favorite online bookstore and pick up a book about asteroids. Learn more about their characteristics and behavior.</p></div></div><div id='' class='facts-item'><div id='' class='facts-header'><h3 id='' class='facts-number'>5</h3></div><div id='' class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 id='' class='facts-title'>Attend an Asteroid Lecture</h3><p id='' class='facts-text'>Look for local lectures or events focused on asteroids, or even better, take an astronomy course that focuses on asteroids and the solar system.</p></div></div>
<div id='' class='whywelove-item'><div id='' class='whywelove-letter-cont'><div class='whywelove-letter'>A</div></div><div id='why-we-love-main-cont'><h3 id='' class='whywelove-title'>It raises awareness of asteroids</h3><p id='' class='whywelove-text'>International Asteroid Day is a chance to bring the threat of asteroids to the forefront of people’s minds and educate them about these potentially devastating rocks. By raising public awareness, we can better protect our planet from being impacted by an asteroid collision in the future!</p></div></div><div id='' class='whywelove-item'><div id='' class='whywelove-letter-cont'><div class='whywelove-letter'>B</div></div><div id='why-we-love-main-cont'><h3 id='' class='whywelove-title'>It encourages exploration</h3><p id='' class='whywelove-text'>International Asteroid Day celebrates humanity’s ability to explore and learn more about the universe around us. We have made great advancements in space travel, allowing us to delve deeper into the mysteries of outer space than ever before!</p></div></div><div id='' class='whywelove-item'><div id='' class='whywelove-letter-cont'><div class='whywelove-letter'>C</div></div><div id='why-we-love-main-cont'><h3 id='' class='whywelove-title'>It promotes education</h3><p id='' class='whywelove-text'>International Asteroid Day provides an excellent opportunity for schools and universities all over the world to learn about asteroids, their impact on Earth’s environment, and ways to spot and track them. We can use this knowledge to prepare for any potential impacts in the future!</p></div></div>
<div class='facts-item'><div class='facts-number-wrapper'><p class='facts-number'>1</p></div><div class='facts-core-content'><h3 class='facts-title'>Asteroids are remnants from the early solar system</h3><p class='facts-content'>Asteroids, often considered to be fragments of early planets that never fully formed, are over 4.6 billion years old. Studying them gives us a snapshot of the early solar system.</p></div></div><div class='facts-item'><div class='facts-number-wrapper'><p class='facts-number'>2</p></div><div class='facts-core-content'><h3 class='facts-title'>Water on Earth might have been delivered by Asteroids</h3><p class='facts-content'>Some scientists believe that early impacts from ice-rich asteroids may have helped bring water to our planet during its formation stages.</p></div></div><div class='facts-item'><div class='facts-number-wrapper'><p class='facts-number'>3</p></div><div class='facts-core-content'><h3 class='facts-title'>Some Asteroids have their own moons</h3><p class='facts-content'>Surprisingly, some asteroids have been discovered to have their own moons. The asteroid "243 Ida" is known to have at least one moon named "Dactyl".</p></div></div><div class='facts-item'><div class='facts-number-wrapper'><p class='facts-number'>4</p></div><div class='facts-core-content'><h3 class='facts-title'>Asteroids can have worth trillions of dollars</h3><p class='facts-content'>Many asteroids are rich in valuable metals like nickel, iron, and titanium and some even have precious metals like gold and platinum, giving them potentially astronomical (quite literally) values.</p></div></div><div class='facts-item'><div class='facts-number-wrapper'><p class='facts-number'>5</p></div><div class='facts-core-content'><h3 class='facts-title'>There's a mission to bring an Asteroid sample to Earth</h3><p class='facts-content'>NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is set to bring back samples from asteroid Bennu in 2023, which can provide immense knowledge about the early solar system and potentially useful resources.</p></div></div>
International Asteroid Day is celebrated on June 30th every year. In 2024 International Asteroid Day will occur on a Sunday.
2023
Jun 30
Friday
2024
Jun 30
Sunday
2025
Jun 30
Monday
2026
Jun 30
Tuesday
2027
Jun 30
Wednesday
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