Pre-dawn hours of June 27 will bring peak opportunities to view June’s Bootid meteor shower. A thin crescent moon will enhance the chances of seeing meteors flash across the sky.

Artist graphic of the asteroid belt.
Credit: NASA/McREL

Stargazing: June 30 Asteroid Day – date of Siberian Tunguska Event; largest asteroid impact in recorded history

June 24, 2025

Julie Silverman, Carnegie Science Center

Pre-dawn hours of June 27 will bring peak opportunities to view June’s Bootid meteor shower. A thin crescent moon will enhance the chances of seeing meteors flash across the sky. Although meteor showers happen when Earth passes through dusty debris trails of comets or asteroids, every day, tiny grains of particles race through our atmosphere, finding their way to Earth’s surface. Where do 100 tons of seemingly unseen space dust go? Often into vacuum cleaners.

When a larger object survives its heated atmospheric journey and reaches the ground, what remains is called a meteorite. Found meteorites help us study the origins of the solar system. But on occasion, larger meteors can become disastrous. The dinosaurs felt that impact, as did the Tunguska area of Siberia, which was leveled by an impact blast in 1908. In 2013, a meteor struck a nearby Russian city. Its path was imaged by car cameras while shattering over 3,000 windows.

In 2015, Dr. Brian May of Queen; Rusty Schwiekart, Apollo 9 astronaut; Grig Richards, filmmaker; and Danica Remy, B612 Foundation President, co-founded Asteroid Day. They aimed for asteroid education, research in early solar system mysteries, and planetary defense. One year later, the United Nations named June 30 as International Asteroid Day, the anniversary of the Siberia Tunguska event. Scientific knowledge and worldwide efforts promote updates on protecting life from potential catastrophic space rocks.

Are you as fascinated by the night sky as we are?

Join us for SkyWatch: Carnegie Science Center’s monthly opportunity to catch a glimpse of the stars with professional telescopes. Get a great view of the Pittsburgh skyline as you stargaze with other space enthusiasts. Plus, watch a feature show at the Buhl Planetarium and participate in fun, astronomy-themed activities.