World
India
A 14-year-old student from Shiv Nadar School in Noida is about to achieve an extraordinary feat—naming an asteroid he discovered in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. This exciting milestone comes after Daksh Malik participated in a NASA project that led to the discovery. Currently known as ‘2023 OG40,’ the asteroid will soon receive a permanent name chosen by Malik himself.
Daksh Malik’s Journey to Discovering an Asteroid
Daksh, a Class 9 student, submitted his preliminary detection of the asteroid last year, and it has now been confirmed by NASA as a “Provisional Discovery of a Main Belt Asteroid.” Speaking to the media, Daksh expressed his excitement and said, “I have been fascinated with space documentaries since I was much younger, and this opportunity is like a dream come true for me.”
The International Asteroid Discovery Project (IADP) By NASA
Daksh’s discovery was part of the International Asteroid Discovery Project (IADP), a program that encourages students to search for asteroids. Along with two of his schoolmates, Daksh spent almost a year and a half looking for asteroids under the mentorship of Dr. Patrick Miller from Hardin-Simmons University.
The IADP is a citizen science initiative that works in collaboration with NASA’s Citizen Science Project, the International Astronomy Search Collaboration (IASC), and Pan-STARRS. This program allows students and the general public worldwide to use advanced software and astronomical datasets to search for new asteroids. The data includes real images from the Pan-STARRS telescope in Hawaii, offering participants the opportunity to make significant discoveries.
NASA’s Global Project with High Participation
Each year, around 6,500 participants from over 80 countries engage in the IADP, hoping to make asteroid discoveries. However, only a few participants succeed. Daksh was one of them, after submitting six preliminary detections. He now joins a select group of Indian students—just five others—who have reported discovering asteroids.
Daksh credits his school’s observatory and astronomy programs, as well as his supportive teachers, for nurturing his passion for space exploration. “This journey has inspired me to reach for the stars—literally and figuratively—and I hope it encourages others to pursue their passions fearlessly,” he says.
The Asteroid Naming and Verification Process in NASA
Although Daksh has not yet finalized the name for his asteroid, he is considering options like ‘Destroyer of the World’ and ‘Countdown.’ However, the name change will not be immediate. After the initial detection, NASA’s verification process can take up to four or five years. The asteroid must be observed a second time, and once its status as an asteroid is confirmed, it will be granted provisional status by the Minor Planet Centre (MPC).
Once further observations are made and the asteroid is officially recognized, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in Paris will catalog it in the global record. It is only after the asteroid is fully verified that Daksh will have the honor of naming it.
