The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has honoured renowned Indian astrophysicist Prof Jayant Murthy by naming an asteroid after him.
This recognition comes in acknowledgment of Prof Murthy’s groundbreaking contributions to ultraviolet astronomy and space missions, a statement issued by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) in Bengaluru announced on Friday.
Formerly known as “2005 EX296”, the asteroid has now been officially designated as “(215884) Jayantmurthy” by the IAU’s Working Group on Small Bodies Nomenclature.
Positioned between Mars and Jupiter, the asteroid completes one revolution around the Sun every 3.3 years.
Expressing his delight at the prestigious honour, Prof Murthy, who retired from IIA in 2021 and currently serves as an Honorary Professor, said that he is thrilled to have received the honour.
Speaking to a national daily, he attributed it to his involvement with the NASA New Horizons Science Team and their work on observing the ultraviolet background radiation in the Universe.
The naming of the asteroid underscores Prof Murthy’s significant role in the New Horizons mission, which garnered worldwide attention for its detailed study of Pluto during its flyby in 2015 and subsequent exploration of the Kuiper Belt.
Prof Murthy’s research primarily focuses on measuring the cosmic ultraviolet background, a task best performed from the outer reaches of the Solar System where interference from the Sun and interplanetary medium is minimal.
Commenting on the asteroid naming, Prof Annapurni Subramaniam, director of IIA, described it as “a very rare honour”.
Prof Murthy now joins the esteemed company of former IIA directors, Prof MK Vainu Bappu and Prof JC Bhattacharyya, who also have asteroids named after them.
