Asteroid Day was founded to raise awareness of asteroid threats

June 30 (UPI) -- Asteroid Day, observed annually on June 30, was founded in 2015 by scientists including Queen guitarist Brian May to raise awareness of the potential threat asteroid impacts could pose to Earth.

The holiday was co-founded in December 2014 by May, who is an astrophysicist, alongside Danica Remy, Grigorij Richters and Rusty Schweickart.

Richters directed the film 51 Degrees North, which depicts a fictional asteroid strike on London, and he became acquainted with May when the musician was hired to compose the score for the movie. May introduced Richters to the B612 Foundation, a U.S. nonprofit group dedicated to early detection of asteroid threats.

Remy, chief operations officer of the B612 Foundation, and Schweickart, an Apollo 9 astronaut, joined May and Richters in creating Asteroid Day in 2014.

They chose June 30, 2015, for the first Asteroid Day. June 30 is the anniversary of the Tunguska asteroid impact over Siberia in 1908.

The holiday was officially recognized by the United Nations General Assembly in 2016.

Other holidays and observances for June 30, 2022, include Leap Second Time Adjustment Day, National Bomb Pop Day, National Handshake Day, National Ice Cream Soda Day, National Organization for Women Day and National Outfit of the Day Day.