World Asteroid Day 2024: All You Need to Know

World Asteroid Day is a global awareness campaign observed annually on June 30. It aims to educate the public about asteroids, their potential risks, and the importance of planetary defence measures.

World Asteroid Day was established in 2014 by Dr. Brian May (astrophysicist and Queen guitarist), filmmaker Grig Richters, Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart, and B612 Foundation president Danica Remy.

The chosen date commemorates the anniversary of the Tunguska event, a massive explosion caused by an asteroid or comet impact in Siberia on 30 June 30 1908. This is the most significant event on Earth in recorded history, highlighting the potential danger of near-Earth objects (NEOs).

The key goals of the day are to increase global awareness about asteroids and their potential impact on Earth and to encourage the development of policies and strategies for planetary defence.

Missions like NASA's OSIRIS-REx, which collected samples from the asteroid Bennu, and JAXA's Hayabusa2, which visited the asteroid Ryugu, have significantly advanced our understanding of asteroids.