February 8, 2025
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News Update Student Corner

14-Year-Old Noida Boy Discovers Asteroid Through NASA Project, Set to Name It

A Class 9 student from Shiv Nadar School, Noida named Daksh Malik has found an asteroid in the belt between Mars and Jupiter as part of a NASA project. He would soon have the privilege of giving the asteroid its name.

His preliminary detection of the asteroid was submitted last year, and it has now been officially confirmed by NASA as a “Provisional Discovery of a Main Belt Asteroid.”

Daksh told the media that he had been intrigued by space documentaries since his youth and that this opportunity felt like a dream come true for him.

HOW DID DAKSH MALIK FIND THE ASTEROID?

For nearly a year and a half, Malik and two of his classmates had been searching for asteroids as part of the International Asteroid Discovery Project (IADP), guided by Dr. Patrick Miller from Hardin Simmons University.

The IADP is a partnership involving the International Astronomy Search Collaboration (IASC), Pan-STARRS, and NASA’s Citizen Science Project. In 2022, they were informed about the IASC when the astronomy club of their school sent them an email regarding it

Class 9 student from Noida finds asteroid through NASA program

This citizen science initiative by NASA motivates both students and the wider community to utilize their software and datasets in the search for undiscovered asteroids.

This joint initiative granted participants from around the globe access to premium astronomical data, featuring actual images from the Pan-STARRS telescope in Hawaii, for the purpose of identifying new asteroids and significant Near-Earth Objects.

Each year, about 6500 individuals from more than 80 countries participate in the quest to discover an asteroid, but only a handful succeed. The Noida teenager was one of the fortunate few, having submitted six preliminary detections first.

This allows Daksh Malik to join a select group of just five other students in India who have reported asteroid discoveries.

He acknowledged the observatory and astronomy programs at his school, as well as his teachers, for creating an environment where he could cultivate his passions.

“This journey has motivated me to aim for the stars—both literally and metaphorically—and I hope it inspires others to chase their passions without fear,” Daksh says.

NAMING AND VERIFICATION PROCESS 

Daksh has yet to finalize the asteroid’s name. He is wavering between ‘Destroyer of the World’ and ‘Countdown’. No matter which option he selects, the name change would not take effect right away.

Following the asteroid’s “preliminary detection,” NASA’s verification process might require four to five years. NASA made its second observation of the object; if confirmed as an asteroid, the Minor Planet Centre (MPC) assigns it provisional status.

Subsequently, following additional observations, it would be acknowledged as official discoveries. Subsequently, the International Astronomical Union in Paris would document it in the worldwide record.

It is only after a complete verification that Malik will be able to officially name the asteroid.

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