NASA Honors Indian Employee with Asteroid Naming
India has once again achieved a moment of pride as Rutu Parekh, a planetary geologist hailing from Gujarat, along with three other scientists, has been recognized for their accomplishments. According to the Times of India, Rutu Parekh has been bestowed with the honor of having an asteroid named after her, with Asteroid 2000HD73 now being renamed as “Rutu Parekh”.
Parekh had completed BSC from St. Xavier’s College in Biochemistry and Chemistry. He completed his M.Sc. from Canter in environmental planning and technology (CEPT University) in the field of geomatics and remote sensing. In addition, he graduated as a Master of Science in Engineering. – Earth Science Thesis focusing on Martian volcanism and surface geomorphology from the University of Bristol, UK. And now he works at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a postdoctoral researcher at NASA (USA).
Kumar Venkatramani, another scientist from Ahmedabad, has also received a similar recognition as asteroid 2000SM362 has been renamed ‘Kumar’ in his honour. Kumar had done his Ph.D. from IIT- Gandhinagar.
A total of four Indian scientists have been awarded. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) nomenclature for small bodies is responsible for naming celestial bodies. On June 22, the IAU renamed 198 celestial objects in honor of scientists involved in astrophysics, four of which are Indian.
In her email reply to TOI, Rutu Parekh said, “As a planetary scientist, it opens doors to many new research opportunities to enhance my knowledge, skills and expertise.”
Kumar Venkatramani also told ToI, “It definitely inspires me to achieve more in the field I love.”
Apart from Rutu Parekh and Kumar Venkatraman, Aswin Sekhar and Ashok Verma were also among the 198 researchers who received recognition.
What is an asteroid?
According to NASA, asteroids are also known as minor planets, which are relatively small, passive, rocky bodies orbiting the Sun. These celestial bodies are remnants of the early evolution of our solar system some 4.6 billion years ago and are characterized by their airless nature.
The current known number of asteroids is 1,298,053. According to NASA reports.
