'14-year-old': How NASA helped a Noida boy discover asteroid between Mars and Jupiter
Produced by Tarun Mishra
Produced by Tarun Mishra
Daksh Malik, a Class 9 student from Shiv Nadar School in Noida, has discovered an asteroid located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter through a NASA-backed citizen science programme.
The asteroid, provisionally named ‘2023 OG40,’ has been officially confirmed by NASA as a "Provisional Discovery of a Main Belt Asteroid." Daksh will have the opportunity to assign it a permanent name in the future.
Daksh’s discovery was part of the International Asteroid Discovery Project (IADP), a collaboration involving NASA’s Citizen Science Project, Pan-STARRS, and the International Astronomy Search Collaboration (IASC).
Under the guidance of Dr. Patrick Miller from Hardin Simmons University, Daksh and his teammates analysed astronomical data for over 18 months. The discovery followed six preliminary detections submitted by Daksh.
Daksh joins a select group of only six Indian students who have reported asteroid discoveries through IADP, a programme that engages over 6,500 participants annually from 80 countries.
While Daksh is considering names like “Destroyer of the World” and “Countdown,” the final naming will depend on NASA’s verification process, which could take up to five years. The International Astronomical Union will then catalog the asteroid officially.
Daksh credits his school’s astronomy programmes and teachers for fostering his interest in space exploration. He hopes his achievement inspires others to follow their passions and contribute to science.
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