Asteroid impacts are the only natural disaster we know how to prevent: said co-founders of Asteroid Day

#InternationalAsteroidDay, #OmniGlobe #Siberia, #RussianFederation, #UnitedNationsGeneralAssembly, AssociationofSpaceExplorers, #Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, #Dr.BrianMay, #DanicaRemy, #GrigRichters, #RustySchweickart,    #PacificMuseumofEarth,  UniversityofBritishColumbia, 

Toronto, June 30 (Canadian-Media): International Asteroid Day (IAD) is being observed globally today to commemorate the anniversary of the Tunguska asteroid impact over Siberia, Russian Federation, on 30 June 1908, media reports said.

IAD was declared by United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to be observed all over the world on June 30 of every year on the proposal of the Association of Space Explorers, which was endorsed by Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).

 “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,” stated Asteroid Day co-founders Dr. Brian May, Danica Remy, Grig Richters and Rusty Schweickart. “Asteroid impacts are the only natural disaster we know how to prevent if we, as the crew of Spaceship Earth work together towards a global solution.”

The first official observance of International Asteroid Day is reported to take place in 2017.

While Canada is getting ready to celebrate its 150th birthday tomorrow, it is observing the IAD today, fully aware of the asteroid threats and our efforts to prevent its impacts.

Vancouver’s Space Centre in Pacific Museum of Earth (PME) —a University of British Columbia -- based organization that specializes in hands-on demos of rocks and minerals—has joined the charge this year. The space Centre will pass  around asteroids and meteorites, and explain how their compositions are unlike anything found on Earth.

Pacific Museum of Earth. Image credit: pme.ubc.ca

PME offers a variety of education programs to small or large groups, families, social clubs, summer camps, and school groups of all ages.

Kids get to enjoy the event screens “The Little Prince” movie, featuring a young girl discovering the extraordinary world of the Little Prince—who just happens to live on an asteroid.

OmniGlobe is one of the PME’s newest permanent exhibits and is Canada’s first and only OmniGlobe. It is a spherical interactive display on which you can project images and animations of planets, real time weather, ocean currents, tsunami wave data, forest fires, ancient ice coverage and much more.

​OmniGlobe in Pacific Museum of Earth. Image credit: pme.ubc.ca

PME  gives guided tours of the museum to interactive Earth Science themed workshops.

It also offers virtual tours and enables anyone to get its tour while sitting at home.

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)