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#AsteroidDayReflections: Celebrating 2024’s Milestones and a New Start in 2025

#AsteroidDayReflections: Celebrating 2024’s Milestones and a New Start in 2025

#AsteroidDayReflections: Celebrating 2024’s Milestones and a New Start in 2025 https://asteroidday-uploads.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/14154344/449697845_1038510411175342_7744331770105141507_n.jpg 1600 1200 Asteroid Day Asteroid Day https://asteroidday-uploads.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/14154344/449697845_1038510411175342_7744331770105141507_n.jpg

Happy New Year! As we step into 2025, let’s take a moment to reflect on the incredible progress made in asteroid education and planetary defence in 2024. From groundbreaking missions to global community growth, it’s clear that the past year laid the foundation for even more exciting discoveries ahead.

🚀 Go, Hera!

Source: ESA – S. Corvaja / Scientific American

One of the biggest moments of 2024 was the launch of ESA’s Hera mission in November. Blasting off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral, Hera is now on its way to study the asteroid Dimorphos. Building on the success of NASA’s DART mission, Hera will provide essential data to refine our ability to deflect future asteroid threats. Its arrival is expected in 2026, but the journey has already begun.

 

🌌 Goodbye, NEOWISE!

After over a decade of service, the NEOWISE spacecraft retired dramatically, burning up in Earth’s atmosphere in November. Originally launched as WISE to map the sky in infrared, it later shifted focus to hunting asteroids and comets. Over its lifespan, NEOWISE made more than 1.45 million observations and discovered hundreds of near-Earth objects. Its legacy continues to shape asteroid research today.

 

🌍 RAMSES and the Apophis Encounter

Looking ahead, ESA’s Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (RAMSES) is set to make headlines as we approach the 2029 close approach of asteroid Apophis. In 2024, ESA approved the initial phase of the mission, which aims to study how Earth’s gravity could cause surface tremors on the asteroid. This flyby offers a unique opportunity to study the effects of gravitational forces on asteroid structure.

The fireball seen in Portugal (NSC Total / X)

🔥 Fireballs That Went Viral

While meteors light up the skies year after year, 2024 had some standout moments that caught public attention. In January, fragments from a small asteroid fell near Berlin, Germany, sparking headlines. In May, a fireball over Portugal and Spain was captured live by a group of young Portuguese broadcasters. Their viral footage earned them unexpected fame—and even a fast-food commercial!

🌟 Asteroid Discoveries: Curious Moons and Trojan Mysteries

The year also brought fascinating discoveries that got into our spotlight and were covered in our blog posts: Possible Moons Have Been Detected Orbiting Hundreds of Asteroids, The Asteroid that Became Earth’s Temporary Moon and Saturn’s First Trojan Asteroid

🎉 A Record-Breaking Year for Asteroid Day!


Asteroid Day 2024 saw more than 630 events held around the world, thanks to the incredible efforts of our organisers, partners, and supporters. The global asteroid community continues to grow, and with Asteroid Day’s 10th anniversary on the horizon, we’re already planning to make 2025 even more memorable.

Looking Ahead to 2025: Share Your Highlights!

Let’s keep the momentum going into 2025! We invite you to share your own #AsteroidDayHighlights. Create short videos about the latest asteroid updates or host an event in your community.

Register your events online and submit post-event reports to inspire others worldwide. Together, we’ll make 2025 another groundbreaking year for asteroid awareness! 🌍🚀

Here’s to another year of discovery and action in planetary defence!