Nine years ago today, an asteroid exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia. It was only about 20 meters in diameter (or 55-65 feet) — by meteor and asteroid standards, pretty small, but as you may remember, it packed a punch. The explosion injured over 1,500 people and damaged more than 7,000 buildings across six cities.

These kinds of events are reminders that celestial objects do hit our home planet frequently. So what can we do to collectively change the course of the future by preventing asteroid impacts on Earth?

• Learn more about asteroids and planetary defense — and share what you learn. Check out our infographic on near-Earth asteroid tracking, and feel free to share it.
• Get involved with Asteroid Day (June 30th): spread the word about asteroids, their risks, and opportunities; host an event in your country, and access the educational tools Asteroid Day provides.
• Become a supporter of B612’s Asteroid Institute. Our network of scientists and researchers are building tools to allow the scientific community to find and track asteroids and build a 3-dimensional dynamic map of the solar system. Our Asteroid Discovery Analysis and Mapping (ADAM) platform will be key to protecting the Earth from future asteroid impacts. Subscribe to our newsletter to get updates on our progress.

This is an exciting time in the world of near-Earth objects! The NASA Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) will take place later this year. Osiris-REX will be returning with samples from the asteroid Bennu in 2023, and the Vera Rubin Observatory will be coming online later the same year.

Today, let’s celebrate the advancements the planetary defense community has made in protecting the earth from asteroid impacts, the only natural disaster we are able to prevent.

About Danica Remy:

Danica serves as President of the B612 Foundation, which leads the private sector efforts in research, analysis and systems design to protect Earth from asteroids.  Danica also co-founded the international program, Asteroid Day which is supported by the Government of Luxembourg and international space agencies and satellite companies. In 2016 it was sanctioned by the United Nations as an official day to increase global awareness and education of asteroids. The other co-founders are legendary Queen guitarist Dr. Brian May, Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart, and German filmmaker Grigorij Richters.