World Asteroid Day 2025: History, Significance, Tunguska event and Key Facts

International Asteroid Day 2025

World Asteroid Day 2025: It is celebrated on 30 June to spread awareness in public about the asteroid impact hazard. What are asteroids and the Tunguska event? Let us have a look at the history and significance of the day. It is also known as International Asteroid Day. The day marks the anniversary of the 1908 Tunguska impact. It also raises awareness about the role of asteroids in the formation of our universe, how their resources can be used in the future, how asteroids provide the way for future exploration, and also how we can protect our planet from the impacts of asteroids. 

World Asteroid Day is a global movement to protect our Earth from the impacts of Asteroids. Several events are organized all over the world to educate people about asteroids. 

What are Asteroids?

Asteroids are the small rocky body that orbits around the sun. Mostly, they are found between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter but some have more eccentric orbits. Asteroids are rocky-metallic objects varying in size from pebbles to approximately 600 miles in diameter.

They are so small that they are not considered planets but they orbit the Sun. They are also known as the leftover material of the Solar System. Do you know that several hundred thousand asteroids are known to exist in our Solar System and many are yet to be discovered? Some asteroids are so small that they are difficult to detect.

World Asteroid Day: History

In December 2016, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/71/90. This resolution declared 30 June as International Asteroid Day, commemorating the Tunguska impact over Siberia, Russian Federation, on 30 June 1908. The day is observed annually to raise awareness about the hazardous impact of asteroids.

Let us tell you that the General Assembly’s decision was made based on a proposal made by the Association of Space Explorers. This proposal was endorsed by the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).

Asteroid Day was co-founded by astrophysicist and QUEEN’s lead guitarist, Dr. Brian May, along with Danica Remy, President of the B612 Foundation. The initiative was also supported by Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart and filmmaker Grigg Richters. Its goal is to raise awareness and educate the public about the importance of asteroids in the formation of our universe and their role in our solar system today.

There is an organization named B612 that works towards protecting the Earth from asteroid impacts, informing and forwarding worldwide decision-making on planetary defense issues.

What if an asteroid was about to hit Earth?

What is Tunguska Impact?

The anniversary of the Tunguska impact is observed on 30 June which is also known as the Tunguska impact. A large explosion occurred on that day in the sky over the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in Siberia, Russia. According to NASA, it was estimated that the asteroid entered the atmosphere of the Earth at a speed of about 33,500 miles per hour. The space rock of 220-million-pound  heated the air surrounding it to 44,500 degrees Fahrenheit.

At approximately 28,000 feet in altitude, the combination of pressure and heat caused the asteroid fragment to break apart and self-destruct. This event produced a fireball and energy equivalent to around 185 Hiroshima bombs. The resulting blast flattened an estimated 80 million trees across 830 square miles (2,150 square kilometers) of forest.

It was thought that an asteroid or a comet was responsible for the blast. This event, the Tunguska impact is considered as the largest asteroid impact on the Earth in recorded history.

World Asteroid Day 2019: Events

Various events are organized all over the world. These events are at NASA and other space agency facilities, planetariums, museums, universities, and much more. This year it is celebrated digitally.

According to the press release of Asteroidday.org:

The Asteroid Foundation returns with Asteroid Day LIVE Digital from Luxembourg. This year, in a groundbreaking move, the celebration of asteroid science and exploration goes fully digital. On 30 June 2025, you can look forward to engaging panel discussions and insightful interviews with astronauts and global experts. This will make it an event not to be missed.

The topic of discussion for this year is the acceleration in the rate of our asteroid discoveries and why it is set to accelerate even faster. The imminent arrival of samples from Asteroid Ryugu and Bennu will also be highlighted. Additionally, there are exciting preparations for the joint US-Europe mission to binary Asteroid Didymos, and much more.

According to Tom Jones, Ph.D., a veteran astronaut planetary scientist, and Asteroid Day Expert Panel member “Asteroid exploration missions tell us about the birth of our planet and reveal how asteroids can serve astronauts as stepping stones to Mars.”

In Luxembourg (21 June 2019) – Scientists and scholars, astrophysicists and engineers, students, and academics gathered in around 192 countries to be part of Asteroid Day. This is the official United Nations’ day of Awareness and education about asteroids. Asteroid Day is celebrated over about one week. In 2019, the fifth Anniversary of Asteroid Day, events focused on the role of asteroids in the formation of our solar system and advances in technology to better detect, track, and analyze asteroids and review our ability to deflect a rogue asteroid headed towards Earth. Let us tell you that An Asteroid Day is a program of the Asteroid Foundation, a Luxembourg nonprofit organization.

World Asteroid Day 2019 events took place on five continents:

In Europe: Several organizations like Luxembourg’s Ministry of Education, SpaceResources.lu, and The National Museum of Natural History organize events across the country. The world’s largest meteorite collection will be showcased by the Natural History Museum Vienna, Austria. The new Hellenic Meteorite Museum is hosting a variety of events in Greece.

In North America: Several events will be held at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, Texas, in addition to other science centers, universities, and astronomy clubs throughout the US, Canada, and Mexico.

In Africa: On National TV (TVM) a special presentation will be hosted by Mozambique about Asteroids in coordination with the International Astronomical Unit (IAU), at a special session during the National Astronomical Society Meeting. An event namely “Asteroids and Safety of The Earth” will be hosted by Egypt’s Scientific Society of Astronomy and Space at the National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics in Cairo.

In South America: Some groups of astronomical back papers known as Mochileros Astronomical. This will teach across the country about astronomy in several schools, planetariums, and communities. Also, 100 years of the International Astronomical Union will be celebrated in the events organized on Asteroids across Brazil’s Astronomical institutions.

In Asia: Several lectures and activities are hosted by the Kazakhstan Fesenkov Astrophysical Institute in Almaty. Similarly, in Israel, events are organized at the Givatayim Observatory, Netanya Planetarium, and the Yarqa Space Center.

World Asteroid Day: Significance

World Asteroid Day or International Asteroid Day, serves to raise awareness about the devastating impact of an asteroid when it crashes to Earth. In addition to their potential dangers, asteroids have significantly influenced the formation of the universe. Furthermore, they offer valuable resources for the future, enabling further space exploration. However, it is crucial to recognize that asteroids also present potential threats, which underscores the importance of protecting Earth from their impacts.

Asteroids are rocky objects that are found orbiting around the Sun and also between the planets Mars and Jupiter. It is necessary to understand asteroids’ hazardous impacts. So, this World Asteroid Day is celebrated across the globe to educate people about asteroids and their impacts.

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