2022 will rock you!
2022 will rock you! https://asteroidday-uploads.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/06171926/unnamed-15.png 512 288 Asteroid Day https://asteroidday-uploads.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/06171926/unnamed-15.png
2021 proved to be an historic year for asteroid exploration and planetary defense and 2022 promises to be yet another exciting sequence! Asteroid Day may be in June, but asteroid education can be taught all year long. We are here to help you plan safe, fun and stimulating events all year long! What exciting missions, birthdays, observations and anniversaries are coming up in 2022? Check out this list with recommendations to help plan your next event!
Picture subtitle: Illustration of the NEA Scout spacecraft with its solar sail positioned as it flies towards its target asteroid (NASA)
In the spring, NASA will launch the unmanned mission Artemis 1, a test flight around the Moon using the new spaceship Orion. The NEA Scout is a shoebox-sized spacecraft that will ride an Artemis 1 rocket towards an asteroid near our planet to collect detailed data and imagery. A good time to talk about near-Earth asteroids and potentially dangerous asteroids.
In June, Asteroid Day will be on a Thursday with the New Moon. Not only will you be able to tune into the 2022 edition of Asteroid Day LIVE, but the lack of moonlight that night will make the sky favorable for an asteroid search marathon. How many asteroids will you be able to locate? TheSkyLive and In-The-Sky.org webpages are great options to know in real time where they are. Remember that the amount of asteroids located will depend on the equipment used.
Asteroid Day Co-founder Brian May
In July, the astrophysicist, Queen guitarist and Asteroid Day co-founder Brian May will be 75 years old! With this date close to Asteroid Day, it will be a great chance to join music with science, rock and space rocks! An informal talk about asteroids, alternating with acoustic versions of Queen’s songs, are attractive to pubs, cafes, snack bars and other small public spaces.
Picture subtitle: an illustration of the Psyche spacecraft (NASA)
In August, the mission that will explore the metallic asteroid Psyche is scheduled to be launched. The mission page proposes ideal activities for workshops and contests involving children and young people.
Later in the fall, the first asteroids discovered in history will be in the best conditions for observation; see Vesta in August, Juno in September and Pallas in the latter part of the year.
Picture subtitle: Illustration of Spacecraft DART arriving at asteroid Dimorphos (NASA/Johns Hopkins, APL)
In October, the concluding phase of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) Mission is scheduled, when the spacecraft will finally collide with the asteroid Dimorphos. A great time to talk about planetary defense and wish the mission luck in impact results.
Finally, some asteroid exploration milestones celebrated in 2022 could inspire exhibitions with images from these missions, such as 25 years of the nearby passage of the NEAR-Shoemaker probe by the asteroid Mathilde, 15 years since the launch of the Dawn probe towards Ceres and Vesta and 10 years since the passage of the Chinese probe Change-2 by the asteroid Toutatis.
It will be a year with great moments to bring your audience closer to the fascinating universe of asteroids. Time to begin planning! If you haven’t already, download the Event Organizer Toolkit and then proceed to register your event online. After, be sure to send in your event report later and we can share your experience on our website so others can be inspired to host in the future!
