International Asteroid Day Is On June 30, UN Declares

Humans could mark their calendars on June 30 as the world celebrates International Asteroid Day.

Space nerds must be so thrilled to celebrate the day of asteroids as proclaimed by the United Nations (U.N.), Mobi Picker reported. There is no need for people to freak out, though, as this does not mean an asteroid will hit the Earth anytime soon.

Just a bit of history, June 30, 1908 marks the terrifying event when a gigantic Tunguska asteroid was believed to have exploded on a 770-square mile terrain in Siberia, Russia. Although scientists still have not found any concrete evidence or asteroid remains in the area, the Tunguska asteroid theory is still considered as the official explanation behind the mysterious wiping out of millions of trees.

As stated by the U.N., the International Asteroid Day will be held annually to raise public awareness on how to be cautious in case an asteroid hits the planet. This is to ensure the whole humanity's survival during a massive space rock impact.

"We are extremely proud of the UN recognition as we founded Asteroid Day to raise awareness of the asteroid threat and the opportunity for the human species to unite around a single goal: protect our planet from asteroid impacts," said founders of Asteroid Day in a statement.

According to Fox News, NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office is one of those responsible for giving people a heads up whenever an asteroid or any hazardous space object gets too close to Earth, as well as listing the necessary precautionary actions people need to take during a threat. Their projects include the Near Earth Object Program launched in late October, where it declared that it is looking at more than 15,000 asteroids wandering near the planet.

The most recent asteroid that was discovered closest to Earth was found on Sep. 5, which went as near as 25,000 miles above the South Pole. This alarming proximity is much too close compared to the 239,000-mile distance between Earth and the Moon.