Videos: Asteroid Day is on line today – Watch film “51 Degrees North”

Happy Asteroid Day!

Asteroid Day is a global awareness campaign where people from around the world come together to learn about asteroids, the impact hazard they may pose, and what we can do to protect our planet, families, communities, and future generations from future asteroid impacts. Asteroid Day is held each year on the anniversary of the largest impact in recent history, the 1908 Tunguska event in Siberia.

Leaders in the field and several scientific organizations are participating in the event. For example, the European Space Agency says Every day is Asteroid Day at ESA.

In collaboration with Discovery Science, there is a live blog and on line discussions and presentations all  day. See the schedule of Live Streams.

Here is a seven part video series hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson about asteroids and Asteroid Day:

More about the event:

In February 2014, Dr. Brian May, astrophysicist and famed guitarist for the rock band QUEEN, began working with Grigorij Richters, the director of a new film titled 51 Degrees North, a fictional story of an asteroid impact on London and the resulting human condition. May composed the music for the film and suggested that Richters preview it at Starmus, an event organized by Dr. Garik Israelian and attended by esteemed astrophysicists, scientists and artists, including Dr. Stephen Hawking, Richard Dawkins and Rick Wakeman. The result was the beginning of discussions that would lead to the launch of Asteroid Day in 2015.

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For 24 hours only, the film 51 Degrees North is available on line for free.