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Asteroid Day
"Asteroids remind us that the cosmos is both a place of incredible beauty and potentially devastating power. Each one is a relic of the early solar system, holding clues to our past and the keys to our future survival."
Ka-boom! Be ready for cosmic destiny if we must, with a tartan commemorating the ancient wanderers of our solar system: asteroids. These rocky relics, remnants from the solar system’s violent beginnings, carry both the secrets of our origins and the potential for global catastrophe! In an age when the phrase “Don’t Look Up” has become both cultural commentary and cautionary metaphor, this tartan reminds us that sometimes, looking up is exactly what we must do—especially if we want to see what's coming.
Asteroid Day, observed each year on June 30, commemorates the cataclysmic explosion that rocked the remote Tunguska region of Siberia in 1908. On that fateful morning, a stony meteoroid estimated at around 100 meters in diameter exploded in the atmosphere in a powerful event known as an airburst. Although no impact crater was discovered, the blast was strong enough to flatten more than 830 square miles of forest. It remains the most powerful impact-related event in recorded history not caused by nuclear weapons.
In recognition of the ongoing risk posed by near-Earth objects, NASA is preparing to launch the Near-Earth Object Surveyor (NEO Surveyor)—a space telescope designed to detect and track asteroids and comets that could pose a threat to our planet. Now scheduled for launch in 2027, the NEO Surveyor will use infrared sensors to detect even dark or sunward-approaching objects, dramatically improving our planetary defense capabilities.
To mark this vital mission, a specially designed tartan has been created, woven with rich symbolism in its colors and thread count. The deep blues represent large-radius objects like the Tunguska asteroid. Black threads symbolize the telescope and its anticipated mission span. Red and dark red reference the infrared filter bandpasses used in detection, while lighter blues stand for the spacecraft’s sensitive detectors. Yellow and black threads commemorate the year 2006, when the mission proposal was first submitted. This tartan is not only a tribute to cutting-edge science, but a woven reminder of Earth's position in the larger cosmic dance! ❤️ 💙 🖤 💛 🤍 🌎 ☄️ 🛰️
Joseph Masiero and Craig McMurtry designed this tartan to commemorate the NASA mission Near Earth Object Surveyor. The thread count relates to aspects of the mission: 70 blue for 70m radius objects; 25 black for 25cm radius telescope; 12 red 8 black 40 dark red for the NC1 and NC2 filter bandpasses; 12 black for 12 year mission; 4 blue 4 light blue for the NC1 and NC2 detectors and 2 yellow and 6 black for the first mission proposal submitted in 2006.
For more on this mission, click the artist's conception of a near asteroid!