Make a dent this Asteroid Day

Asteroid Day, celebrated annually on June 30th, is an exciting event that explores the fascinating world of asteroids. Let's embark on a cosmic journey together and explore the wonders of asteroids!

1. What is Asteroid Day and Why Does it Exist? Asteroid Day is a global awareness campaign that aims to educate people about asteroids and the potential risks they pose to our planet. It was co-founded by astrophysicist Dr. Brian May, Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart, filmmaker Grig Richters, and other renowned individuals. On this day, people from all over the world come together to learn, share knowledge, and raise awareness about asteroids and the importance of planetary defense.
2. Engaging Activities for Students: Encourage your pupils to unleash their creativity and artistic skills by creating their own asteroid art. Provide them with various art supplies such as paints, colored pencils or clay. Ask them to imagine what an asteroid might look like and express their ideas through drawings, paintings or sculptures. While they create, discuss the characteristics of asteroids, their shapes, sizes, and the impact craters they can create. Alternatively, for older classes, bring science into the classroom with this hands-on activity that explores the effects of asteroid impacts. Provide the students with a tray or sandbox, some flour, and various small objects (e.g., marbles, pebbles). In groups, they can take turns dropping objects from different heights and observe the resulting impact craters. Encourage them to record their findings and discuss the similarities between these craters and real asteroid impact sites.
3. Key Facts about Asteroids:

• Asteroids are rocky objects that orbit the Sun, mostly found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
• They vary in size from small boulders to large bodies measuring hundreds of kilometers in diameter.
• Scientists believe that studying asteroids can help us understand the early Solar System's formation and the potential for life on other celestial bodies.
• NASA and other space agencies actively track asteroids to identify any potential threats to Earth and develop ways to mitigate those risks.
• Notable asteroids, such as Ceres and Vesta, have unique characteristics that make them particularly interesting for scientific study.

Asteroid Day provides a wonderful opportunity for you to engage your students in a captivating exploration of asteroids. By participating in the activities above, the children can develop their scientific knowledge and creativity while discovering the wonders of our cosmic neighbors.