World Asteriod Day 2021: What is the Tunguska event and why is there so much discussion on Asteroid Day, what is the Tunguska event and why is there so much discussion on Asteroid day 2021

International Asteroid (Meteorite) Day is observed every year on 30 June. It is a United Nations-recognized campaign to raise awareness about asteroids, their potential danger to our planet, and the scientific mysteries that can be discovered by studying them. The day is celebrated to inspire, engage and educate people about the opportunities and risks of asteroids.

Asteroid caused havoc on the banks of Tanguska River
This year’s International Asteroid Day marks the 113th anniversary of the largest recorded asteroid impact that occurred near the Tunguska River in Siberia, Russia. In December 2016, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared June 30 as International Asteroid Day. To “observe the anniversary of the Tunguska impact on Siberia every year internationally and to raise public awareness of the asteroid.”

What is the Tanguska incident
NASA says that the Tanguska event was the first entry of a large meteorite into Earth’s atmosphere in late history. A few miles up there was an explosion in the air. The force of the explosion was so great that it proved enough to impact trees over an area hundreds of miles wide and hundreds of deer were killed.

(Courtesy – NASA)

What are asteroids?
according to nasahandjob Asteroids are “rocky remnants left over from the early formation of our Solar System about 4.6 billion years ago”. There are currently 1,097,106 known asteroids. Asteroids differ from meteors, which are small bodies of matter that appear as a streak of light when they enter Earth’s atmosphere.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution A/RES/71/90 in December 2016 and declared 30 June as International Asteroid Day. The day marks the anniversary of the Tunguska impact on Siberia, the Russian Federation on June 30, 1908. The General Assembly took the decision based on a resolution made by the Association of Space Explorers and the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. (copus).

Space agencies in many countries like ESA (European Space Agency), JAXA (Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency), Roscosmos (Russia), ISRO (India), and NASA (USA) celebrate this day to educate the general public about the impact of asteroids. organizes programs for and Meteor.

Significance of World Asteroid Day
An organization named B612 works towards protecting the Earth from the impact of asteroids. Asteroid Day is celebrated to make people understand that asteroids are a threat to our planet and hence should be discovered. Experts say that more study is needed about asteroids. The study of asteroids will give us a deeper understanding of the Earth.