World Asteroid Day 2024: Date, History, Significance and How to Celebrate

Asteroids are small, rocky objects that orbit the Sun. Even though they move similarly to other planets around the Sun, they are much smaller. Asteroids can be of varied sizes, ranging from as small as 10 metres across to as huge as 530 km in diameter. Asteroids are leftovers from the formation of our solar system that move around the system. While most of the asteroids are harmless, some of them can cause a catastrophe if they collide with Earth. Every year, World Asteroid Day is celebrated on June 30 to raise awareness about the impact of a catastrophe if an asteroid collides with the Earth.

As asteroids are formed at the same time as planets, they can provide a lot of evidence about other planets and their formation.

World Asteroid Day 2024: History

The origin of World Asteroid Day goes back to a film titled ‘51 Degrees North’ that explored what would happen if an asteroid were to strike London.

To raise awareness about the threat of asteroids, the film’s creative team (many of whom are scientists) formed a foundation and, in 2015, celebrated the world’s first International Asteroid Day.

Later in 2016, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution to celebrate June 30 as International Asteroid Day. The day aims to identify the impact of an asteroid collision with the Earth.

World Asteroid Day 2024: Significance

World Asteroid Day is observed annually to create an understanding of the impact of asteroids on the Earth. The day also aims to understand, discuss, and speed up the process of locating new asteroids in the solar system.

Over the years, scientists have discovered many asteroids in space. However, they claim that a lot of them have yet to be discovered.

According to the UN website, the International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) employs well-defined communication strategies and procedures that help governments analyse the impact of asteroids on Earth and how to deal with them.

World Asteroid Day 2024: How To Celebrate

1. Educate yourselfLearn more about asteroids, comets, and near-Earth objects (NEOs) by visiting the websites of NASA or the B612 Foundation
2. Attend an eventMany organizations around the world host events and activities related to asteroids on or around World Asteroid Day. You can find a list of events on the Asteroid Day website
3. Share on social mediaUse the hashtag #WorldAsteroidDay to share information about asteroids and planetary defense on social media.