International Asteroid Day highlights global asteroid monitoring and defense

The United Nations declared 30 June as International Asteroid Day to commemorate the 1908 Tunguska air burst and to raise public awareness of near‑Earth object (NEO) hazards. Over 16‑36 000 NEOs have been catalogued, and space agencies worldwide continuously track thousands of asteroids and comets for potential impact risk.

Key objects under long‑term observation include the 1.3‑km asteroid 1950 DA, the 490‑m asteroid Bennu (target of NASA’s OSIRIS‑REx sample‑return mission), and smaller bodies such as 2008 JL3 and 2010 RF12. Planetary‑defence efforts have advanced, notably NASA’s DART mission in 2022 that altered the orbit of Dimorphos, and the forthcoming Hera mission (2024‑2026) to study the impact site. The close approach of asteroid Apophis in 2029 will be a worldwide public‑engagement event.

International coordination is organized through the International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) and the Space Mission Planning Advisory Group (SMPAG). Regional activities included a Brazilian amateur astronomer capturing asteroid 1997 NC1 from Goiânia, and Romanian astronomer Mirel Bîrlan’s contributions to asteroid naming and research. The day is marked globally with conferences, educational programs, and observational campaigns.