It’s time for Asteroid Day! Asteroid Day returns in person to Luxembourg for Asteroid Day LIVE 2022, following two years of being entirely virtual. Asteroid experts will converge on Luxembourg to take part in a packed four-hour program of panels and one-on-one interviews. You can watch in various ways, and the program begins at 9 UTC (5 a.m. EDT; 11 a.m. CET) on June 30.
You can watch the live stream from these sources: the Asteroid Day website, on YouTube, on TwitchTV or with any SES satellite subscriber (see details here).
Afterwards, the program will repeat multiple times per day from June 30 – July 4.
Why Asteroid Day?
Asteroids are the leftover remnants of the birth of the planets in our solar system. In addition, they’re full of resources that might someday be used by humanity. However, they are also hazards. With this in mind, astronomers keep a close watch for any asteroids possibly headed toward Earth. AsteroidDay.org said:
… there is so much to talk about. Research into asteroids and planetary defense has never been greater. There are more asteroid missions flying or planned than ever before, and in October this year, NASA will make history by conducting the first deflection test of an asteroid with their DART mission.
The seven panels for Asteroid Day LIVE 2022 – featuring experts and celebrities, and covering a broad range of asteroid science and research – are the backbone of the Asteroid Day LIVE broadcast in 2022.
What is the riskiest asteroid?
The European Space Agency said on June 30 that the “riskiest” asteroid out there is 2021 QM1. Initial observations showed it had a chance of striking Earth in 2052. And frustratingly, follow-up observations soon became impossible. Not only was it outshone by the sun at a pivotal moment, but QM1 has been receding from view as it moves away from Earth in its current orbit. ESA said:
ESA’s Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre together with the European Southern Observatory made finding and assessing the risk from 2021 QM1 a top priority, and this June they had a chance to capture the risky asteroid as it edged away from the brilliant Sun. Now extremely faint in the sky, it would take one of the best telescopes in the world to spot it, and if they do, it will be the faintest asteroid ever detected. Did the team find our risky asteroid? Will it, one day, find us?
You can learn more in the video below:
Small is beautiful
Overall, the theme of Asteroid Day 2022 is “small is beautiful.” AsteroidDay.org said:
Asteroids are indeed small but to the eyes of those who study them, those boulder-strewn surfaces are beautiful to see close-up.
Additionally, the event planners hope to share some small but beautiful samples of asteroids and meteorites. For example, JAXA’s Hayabusa2 mission returned samples of asteroid Ryugu to Earth in 2020. NASA’s OSIRIS-REx reached asteroid Bennu in 2018. Likewise, its sample return should arrive next year.
Read more: Before-and-after of asteroid Bennu’s sample site
History of Asteroid Day
Supporters hold Asteroid Day on June 30 each year to mark the date of Earth’s largest asteroid impact in recorded history, the Siberian Tunguska event. The co-founders of Asteroid Day are astrophysicist and famed musician Brian May of the rock group Queen, Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart, filmmaker Grig Richters and B612 Foundation president Danica Remy. Their goal is to educate the public about the importance of asteroids in our history and the role they play in the solar system.
In 2016, with the leadership of the Association of Space Explorers (ASE), the United Nations declared Asteroid Day to be a global day of education to raise awareness and promote knowledge in the general public about asteroids. For more information, visit AsteroidDay.org.
Each year Asteroid Day presents the public with a snapshot of cutting-edge asteroid research from the largest telescopes on Earth to some of the most ambitious space missions.
Bottom line: The 8th annual Asteroid Day will be held in Luxembourg – and digitally – on June 30, 2022. It’ll feature presentations with experts, panel discussions and question-and-answer periods.
USGS Asteroid Day: How do you prepare for an asteroid impact?
Like what you read?
Subscribe and receive daily news delivered to your inbox.
More from
Editors of EarthSky
What makes a halo around the sun or moon?
