One bad day is all it takes for an asteroid to set off a mass extinction. But Asteroid Day – which falls on June 30 – is set aside as one good day to focus on the effort to head off future bad days, and even take advantage of the riches that near-Earth objects can offer.
“Our goal with Asteroid Day is to dedicate one day each year to learn about asteroids, the origins of our universe, and to support the resources necessary to see, track and deflect dangerous asteroids from Earth’s orbital path,” Brian May, the guitarist/astrophysicist who co-founded the Asteroid Day campaign, said in a news release marking the occasion.
Hundreds of museums and science centers around the globe, including Seattle’s Museum of Flight, are joining in the campaign. The museum will be live-streaming Asteroid Day video presentations and offering family activities to raise awareness about asteroids on Thursday.
This year, Asteroid Day’s organizers also have rolled out a seven-part YouTube video series that explains the threat – and the solutions that are within our reach.
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