Asteroid Day 10 Years: A Whirlwind of Events in South America!
Asteroid Day 10 Years: A Whirlwind of Events in South America! https://asteroidday-uploads.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/23140435/cover-photo.jpg 1600 1066 Asteroid Day https://asteroidday-uploads.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/23140435/cover-photo.jpg
South America brought real energy and creativity to Asteroid Day’s tenth anniversary. Across the region, enthusiastic crowds took part in imaginative, hands-on activities to inform, inspire and celebrate. Here’s a look at the highlights, and perhaps a bit of inspiration for your next event.
In Argentina, the main celebrations took place at Campo del Cielo, the site of some of the world’s largest meteorites. Caravans of students and families joined a vibrant programme of games, exhibitions, workshops and artistic performances.
Asteroid Day at Campo del Cielo: a full day of scientific, educational and artistic activities.
Meanwhile, Funes Observatory held three weekly workshops in June, giving the public a chance to learn about the features and behaviours of asteroids and comets.
Workshops organised by Funes Observatory focused on asteroids and comets.
In Bolivia, visitors braved the cold in Tarija, nearly 2,000 metres above sea level, to join activities at the National Astronomical Observatory. Its planetarium hosted asteroid projections and an engaging explanation of the importance of Asteroid Day.
The cold didn’t stop people in Tarija, Bolivia, from learning about asteroids.
In Chile, Pueblito de Las Vizcachas once again became the hub of a major celebration. Observatories, science organisations, equipment makers, artists, and outreach teams joined forces to deliver memorable activities about asteroids and planetary defence.
The traditional Asteroid Day event at Pueblito de Las Vizcachas, Chile, where organisers, artists, educators and scientists engage the public with hands-on activities.
Elsewhere in Chile, exhibitions popped up in several locations. In Atacama, the Andromeda Observatory led an expedition into the desert to teach participants how to identify meteorites on the ground.
In La Serena, the Meteorite Hunting Museum, created specifically to house space rocks, hosted a lecture on asteroid impacts throughout Earth’s history. In and around Santiago, museums such as Mirador showcased meteorite collections, while an inclusive activity organised by AstroUDP and Bibliociegos helped visually impaired participants understand how an asteroid impact led to the extinction of the dinosaurs:
Some of the drawings entered in the contest organised by Los Molinos Observatory in Uruguay
In Uruguay, the Los Molinos Observatory in Montevideo tapped into artistic expression, organising a drawing contest for children aged 3 to 12.
Some of the drawings entered in the competition organised by Los Molinos Observatory in Uruguay
In Colombia, creativity took centre stage, with asteroid science taught in a playful and engaging way. Asteroids inspired a series of hands-on workshops where children and young people created all sorts of imaginative objects, from pop-up books about space rocks to origami shooting stars:
From top left: Astrocuentos Bien Conta 2 workshop; pop-up asteroid book; Astrofanaticos workshops; origami shooting stars
In Brazil, more than 40 cities held Asteroid Day events. In Bauru, a major event organised by the Unesp Observatory included accurate Styrofoam asteroid models, helping participants better understand their shapes:
Styrofoam asteroid models, miniature works of art showing the shapes of two asteroids
Most events in Brazil took place in universities, schools, and museums, giving people of all ages the chance to meet astronomers, teachers, and space experts.
From top left: Sitio School in Taubaté; Palaeontology Museum in Fernandópolis; José Augusto Educational Center in Caicó, each ran events for Asteroid Day’s tenth anniversary.
Many organisers used Missions to Asteroids Exhibition Posters, helping visitors learn more about asteroid exploration.
Missions to Asteroids exhibition posters on show at a Mulheres de Estrelas event – an outreach project that brought asteroid science to six Brazilian municipalities
3D Asteroid models were popular as well, allowing people to physically compare asteroids with planets and stars.
Realistic as they seem, these are 3D asteroid models shown at a Stardust Observatory event
Online activities were also part of the programme. The Nicolinha & Kids Astronomy Club encouraged children nationwide to post asteroid-related content on social media as part of a friendly contest
Digital artwork about asteroids for the competition organised by Nicolinha & Kids Astronomy Club
Did you take part in Asteroid Day in South America? Let us know by filling out this report, and don’t forget to share your photos so we can feature your event on our channels.
