Every few month , a journalist asks a scientist about the looming threat of Armageddon . That scientist ’s quotes are then predictably blow out of proportion and turned into some iteration of“The End Is Nigh . ”In light ofAsteroid Day , which is today , we ’d like to clarify some of theapocalyptic misinformationthat ’s spreading . As bad as we all want an asteroid to strike us squarely in the face at this point , that credibly wo n’t be happen any metre shortly .

Hyperbolic newspaper headline aside , today is an large chance to speak about asteroids and their impact on Earth — no pun intended . On June 30th , 1908 , an asteroid between 50 and 70 meters in diameter explode in Earth ’s aura over Siberia in an incident bang as theTunguska Event . Though the target was relatively diminished by asteroid standard , it still causeda lot of damage , flattening 80 million trees and destroying rough 2,000 substantial kilometers of forest .

It ’s 30 June also#AsteroidDayOn this day in 1908 the Tunguska effect occurred . PD pics.pic.twitter.com/BWzSzhBOrB

Argentina’s President Javier Milei (left) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., holding a chainsaw in a photo posted to Kennedy’s X account on May 27. 2025.

— David Blanchflower BSc ( @DavidBflower)June 30 , 2017

The anniversary of the Tunguska Event is therefore the perfect time to hold back in on asteroids , and what ’s being done to prevent Earth from being strike by one . According toProfessor Alan Fitzsimmons , an uranologist at the Queen ’s University Belfast Astrophysics research center , scientist are not worried about anything cock-a-hoop , any sentence soon . My sincere apologies to everyone hoping for a unlike outcome .

“ There is quite a luck being done to foreclose the Earth being bewilder by a big asteroid , say half a kilometer across or enceinte , ” Fitzsimmons told Gizmodo . While we sleep with about most of the bigger asteroid , or Near Earth Objects ( NEOs ) , in our solar neighbourhood , smaller NEOs are the handsome straightaway asteroid threat to sure regions on Earth , which is why scientist aretrying to hunt them down .

William Duplessie

“ The preceding two ten have seen continuous sky surveys ( almost all by the United States ) find 90 % of the Near - Earth Asteroids liberal than a klick across , and many of the sub - km asteroids . So that ’s a whole bunch of asteroid we ’re pretty safe from in the next 100 years . ”

Fitzsimmons tot up that European and American scientists already have some ideas on how to handle a large asteroid , should we detect one on a collision course .

“ If we do find one , there have been many advance study in Europe and the USA on how to avert a orotund asteroid—[or ] change its cranial orbit around the Sun — so that if it was on an intercept trajectory it miss us instead . alas it ’s not know how well these engineering crop as we have yet to test them , but on newspaper publisher it looks possible with today ’s applied science . ”

Starship Test 9

Indeed , many scientist are working on asteroid deflection techniques , some of whichinvolve laser , which is objectively awesome . NASA and the ESA have team up up for a joint mission calledAsteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment ( AIDA ) , which will adjudicate and convert the course of an asteroid in blank space .

OTD1908 : the Tunguska Event , believed to be the explosion of a shooting star , flattened near 80 million trees.#AsteroidDaypic.twitter.com/5XkXeJpfbg

— NASA History Office ( @NASAhistory)June 30 , 2017

Lilo And Stitch 2025

Honestly , the best way to celebrate Asteroid Day is bywatchingArmaggedon ( 1998 ) and salute a piña colada . If you really require to be stressed about something today , just read the news .

“ At present there are no big asteroids which are likely to shoot us in the next 100 year , ” Fitzsimmons say . “ So we still have to go to piece of work and it ’s still worthwhile to take out a pension for your old age ! ”

Sigh .

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