14-year-old Noida boy discovers an asteroid, NASA lets him name it – ThePrint
New Delhi: An asteroid in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter will carry a name given by a Class 9 student from Noida. After all, he’s the one who discovered it.
Daksh Malik of Shiv Nadar School, Noida, has been recognised by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for a provisional asteroid discovery. As is the norm, the asteroid is currently named ‘2023 OG40’ after the year it was discovered, but very soon, Malik, 14, will have the honour of picking out a permanent name for it.
“I’ve been fascinated with space since I was little. I used to watch all these documentaries on National Geographic about planets and the solar system. This is like a dream come true,” Malik told ThePrint over phone.
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New Delhi: An asteroid in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter will carry a name given by a Class 9 student from Noida. After all, he’s the one who discovered it.
Daksh Malik of Shiv Nadar School, Noida, has been recognised by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for a provisional asteroid discovery. As is the norm, the asteroid is currently named ‘2023 OG40’ after the year it was discovered, but very soon, Malik, 14, will have the honour of picking out a permanent name for it.
“I’ve been fascinated with space since I was little. I used to watch all these documentaries on National Geographic about planets and the solar system. This is like a dream come true,” Malik told ThePrint over phone.
Show Full Article
Daksh Malik of Shiv Nadar School, Noida, has been recognised by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for a provisional asteroid discovery. As is the norm, the asteroid is currently named ‘2023 OG40’ after the year it was discovered, but very soon, Malik, 14, will have the honour of picking out a permanent name for it.
“I’ve been fascinated with space since I was little. I used to watch all these documentaries on National Geographic about planets and the solar system. This is like a dream come true,” Malik told ThePrint over phone.
Show Full Article
“I’ve been fascinated with space since I was little. I used to watch all these documentaries on National Geographic about planets and the solar system. This is like a dream come true,” Malik told ThePrint over phone.
As part of the International Asteroid Discovery Project (IADP), Malik and a couple of his school mates had been hunting for asteroids in space for the better part of a year and a half. They got the opportunity when the school’s astronomy club sent an email in 2022 about the International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC).
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The IASC, a NASA-affiliated citizen science programme, invites people, including students, from around the world to use their datasets and software to help NASA discover new asteroids. The IADP—conducted by the organisation STEM and Space, and the IASC—has over 6,000 participants every year from around the world, and a few each year are able to discover new asteroids. According to the IASC website, there have been 5 other students from India prior to Daksh that have managed to discover a named asteroid.
The process of finding asteroids was intriguing to Malik. The participants had to download datasets provided by IASC, calibrate them on the Astronomica software and then observe for any celestial objects that could potentially be asteroids. They had to look out for any kind of movement in an object, but also had to check whether the light being emitted from it falls within the limit for asteroids.
“It was a lot of fun to just do this exercise. When I was looking for asteroids it I felt like I was working at NASA myself,” said the 14-year-old.
He added that it will take up to 4-5 years for NASA to run initial tests and complete their verification for the asteroid, only after which he will get to name. But there are a few ideas running through his mind.
“I thought maybe I could call it ‘Destroyer of the World’,” said Malik, laughing. “Or since it’s an asteroid maybe ‘Countdown’ would be a catchy yet ominous sounding name.”
Discovery and future plans
Malik, whose primary interests are divided between law and astronomy, participated in the IADP thrice and submitted 6 preliminary asteroid detections to NASA. These preliminary detections are submissions by participants where they provide the data and coordinates of their observations and NASA then confirms whether it is an actual asteroid or not. If confirmed, the asteroid is then called a provisional asteroid.
“If I’m being honest, Daksh isn’t as keen about the results as he is about the process of something. Once he got interested in astronomy, I knew he would want to see it through no matter the results,” said Sappna Kapur, Malik’s mother.
Despite being the first student in his school to achieve this feat, and spending a year and half on the project, Malik’s dreams are bigger. Astronomy is an interesting subject, he says, but his real passion lies in law and the judiciary.
“His teachers and I have always supported his choices, and the school has made it possible for him to have so many,” said Kapur. “I remember him spending days at the school’s observatory looking at the night sky through the telescope. If not for this environment, he would have never become the curious child he is.”
It is this curiosity that Vinita Sharat, Malik’s mentor and the STEM head of the school wants to foster in all her students.
“Any kid could get great marks in maths and physics if that’s what we want them to do. But to go beyond the classroom and apply these lessons to practical experiences is where real learning comes from,” said Sharat.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
Also Read: Delhi is missing out on planetary parade due to pollution. Rest of India enjoys watch parties
As part of the International Asteroid Discovery Project (IADP), Malik and a couple of his school mates had been hunting for asteroids in space for the better part of a year and a half. They got the opportunity when the school’s astronomy club sent an email in 2022 about the International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC).
The IASC, a NASA-affiliated citizen science programme, invites people, including students, from around the world to use their datasets and software to help NASA discover new asteroids. The IADP—conducted by the organisation STEM and Space, and the IASC—has over 6,000 participants every year from around the world, and a few each year are able to discover new asteroids. According to the IASC website, there have been 5 other students from India prior to Daksh that have managed to discover a named asteroid.
The process of finding asteroids was intriguing to Malik. The participants had to download datasets provided by IASC, calibrate them on the Astronomica software and then observe for any celestial objects that could potentially be asteroids. They had to look out for any kind of movement in an object, but also had to check whether the light being emitted from it falls within the limit for asteroids.
“It was a lot of fun to just do this exercise. When I was looking for asteroids it I felt like I was working at NASA myself,” said the 14-year-old.
He added that it will take up to 4-5 years for NASA to run initial tests and complete their verification for the asteroid, only after which he will get to name. But there are a few ideas running through his mind.
“I thought maybe I could call it ‘Destroyer of the World’,” said Malik, laughing. “Or since it’s an asteroid maybe ‘Countdown’ would be a catchy yet ominous sounding name.”
Discovery and future plans
Malik, whose primary interests are divided between law and astronomy, participated in the IADP thrice and submitted 6 preliminary asteroid detections to NASA. These preliminary detections are submissions by participants where they provide the data and coordinates of their observations and NASA then confirms whether it is an actual asteroid or not. If confirmed, the asteroid is then called a provisional asteroid.
“If I’m being honest, Daksh isn’t as keen about the results as he is about the process of something. Once he got interested in astronomy, I knew he would want to see it through no matter the results,” said Sappna Kapur, Malik’s mother.
Despite being the first student in his school to achieve this feat, and spending a year and half on the project, Malik’s dreams are bigger. Astronomy is an interesting subject, he says, but his real passion lies in law and the judiciary.
“His teachers and I have always supported his choices, and the school has made it possible for him to have so many,” said Kapur. “I remember him spending days at the school’s observatory looking at the night sky through the telescope. If not for this environment, he would have never become the curious child he is.”
It is this curiosity that Vinita Sharat, Malik’s mentor and the STEM head of the school wants to foster in all her students.
“Any kid could get great marks in maths and physics if that’s what we want them to do. But to go beyond the classroom and apply these lessons to practical experiences is where real learning comes from,” said Sharat.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
Also Read: Delhi is missing out on planetary parade due to pollution. Rest of India enjoys watch parties
The IASC, a NASA-affiliated citizen science programme, invites people, including students, from around the world to use their datasets and software to help NASA discover new asteroids. The IADP—conducted by the organisation STEM and Space, and the IASC—has over 6,000 participants every year from around the world, and a few each year are able to discover new asteroids. According to the IASC website, there have been 5 other students from India prior to Daksh that have managed to discover a named asteroid.
The process of finding asteroids was intriguing to Malik. The participants had to download datasets provided by IASC, calibrate them on the Astronomica software and then observe for any celestial objects that could potentially be asteroids. They had to look out for any kind of movement in an object, but also had to check whether the light being emitted from it falls within the limit for asteroids.
“It was a lot of fun to just do this exercise. When I was looking for asteroids it I felt like I was working at NASA myself,” said the 14-year-old.
He added that it will take up to 4-5 years for NASA to run initial tests and complete their verification for the asteroid, only after which he will get to name. But there are a few ideas running through his mind.
“I thought maybe I could call it ‘Destroyer of the World’,” said Malik, laughing. “Or since it’s an asteroid maybe ‘Countdown’ would be a catchy yet ominous sounding name.”
Discovery and future plans
Malik, whose primary interests are divided between law and astronomy, participated in the IADP thrice and submitted 6 preliminary asteroid detections to NASA. These preliminary detections are submissions by participants where they provide the data and coordinates of their observations and NASA then confirms whether it is an actual asteroid or not. If confirmed, the asteroid is then called a provisional asteroid.
“If I’m being honest, Daksh isn’t as keen about the results as he is about the process of something. Once he got interested in astronomy, I knew he would want to see it through no matter the results,” said Sappna Kapur, Malik’s mother.
Despite being the first student in his school to achieve this feat, and spending a year and half on the project, Malik’s dreams are bigger. Astronomy is an interesting subject, he says, but his real passion lies in law and the judiciary.
“His teachers and I have always supported his choices, and the school has made it possible for him to have so many,” said Kapur. “I remember him spending days at the school’s observatory looking at the night sky through the telescope. If not for this environment, he would have never become the curious child he is.”
It is this curiosity that Vinita Sharat, Malik’s mentor and the STEM head of the school wants to foster in all her students.
“Any kid could get great marks in maths and physics if that’s what we want them to do. But to go beyond the classroom and apply these lessons to practical experiences is where real learning comes from,” said Sharat.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
Also Read: Delhi is missing out on planetary parade due to pollution. Rest of India enjoys watch parties
The process of finding asteroids was intriguing to Malik. The participants had to download datasets provided by IASC, calibrate them on the Astronomica software and then observe for any celestial objects that could potentially be asteroids. They had to look out for any kind of movement in an object, but also had to check whether the light being emitted from it falls within the limit for asteroids.
“It was a lot of fun to just do this exercise. When I was looking for asteroids it I felt like I was working at NASA myself,” said the 14-year-old.
He added that it will take up to 4-5 years for NASA to run initial tests and complete their verification for the asteroid, only after which he will get to name. But there are a few ideas running through his mind.
“I thought maybe I could call it ‘Destroyer of the World’,” said Malik, laughing. “Or since it’s an asteroid maybe ‘Countdown’ would be a catchy yet ominous sounding name.”
Discovery and future plans
Malik, whose primary interests are divided between law and astronomy, participated in the IADP thrice and submitted 6 preliminary asteroid detections to NASA. These preliminary detections are submissions by participants where they provide the data and coordinates of their observations and NASA then confirms whether it is an actual asteroid or not. If confirmed, the asteroid is then called a provisional asteroid.
“If I’m being honest, Daksh isn’t as keen about the results as he is about the process of something. Once he got interested in astronomy, I knew he would want to see it through no matter the results,” said Sappna Kapur, Malik’s mother.
Despite being the first student in his school to achieve this feat, and spending a year and half on the project, Malik’s dreams are bigger. Astronomy is an interesting subject, he says, but his real passion lies in law and the judiciary.
“His teachers and I have always supported his choices, and the school has made it possible for him to have so many,” said Kapur. “I remember him spending days at the school’s observatory looking at the night sky through the telescope. If not for this environment, he would have never become the curious child he is.”
It is this curiosity that Vinita Sharat, Malik’s mentor and the STEM head of the school wants to foster in all her students.
“Any kid could get great marks in maths and physics if that’s what we want them to do. But to go beyond the classroom and apply these lessons to practical experiences is where real learning comes from,” said Sharat.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
Also Read: Delhi is missing out on planetary parade due to pollution. Rest of India enjoys watch parties
“It was a lot of fun to just do this exercise. When I was looking for asteroids it I felt like I was working at NASA myself,” said the 14-year-old.
He added that it will take up to 4-5 years for NASA to run initial tests and complete their verification for the asteroid, only after which he will get to name. But there are a few ideas running through his mind.
“I thought maybe I could call it ‘Destroyer of the World’,” said Malik, laughing. “Or since it’s an asteroid maybe ‘Countdown’ would be a catchy yet ominous sounding name.”
Discovery and future plans
Malik, whose primary interests are divided between law and astronomy, participated in the IADP thrice and submitted 6 preliminary asteroid detections to NASA. These preliminary detections are submissions by participants where they provide the data and coordinates of their observations and NASA then confirms whether it is an actual asteroid or not. If confirmed, the asteroid is then called a provisional asteroid.
“If I’m being honest, Daksh isn’t as keen about the results as he is about the process of something. Once he got interested in astronomy, I knew he would want to see it through no matter the results,” said Sappna Kapur, Malik’s mother.
Despite being the first student in his school to achieve this feat, and spending a year and half on the project, Malik’s dreams are bigger. Astronomy is an interesting subject, he says, but his real passion lies in law and the judiciary.
“His teachers and I have always supported his choices, and the school has made it possible for him to have so many,” said Kapur. “I remember him spending days at the school’s observatory looking at the night sky through the telescope. If not for this environment, he would have never become the curious child he is.”
It is this curiosity that Vinita Sharat, Malik’s mentor and the STEM head of the school wants to foster in all her students.
“Any kid could get great marks in maths and physics if that’s what we want them to do. But to go beyond the classroom and apply these lessons to practical experiences is where real learning comes from,” said Sharat.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
Also Read: Delhi is missing out on planetary parade due to pollution. Rest of India enjoys watch parties
He added that it will take up to 4-5 years for NASA to run initial tests and complete their verification for the asteroid, only after which he will get to name. But there are a few ideas running through his mind.
“I thought maybe I could call it ‘Destroyer of the World’,” said Malik, laughing. “Or since it’s an asteroid maybe ‘Countdown’ would be a catchy yet ominous sounding name.”
Discovery and future plans
Malik, whose primary interests are divided between law and astronomy, participated in the IADP thrice and submitted 6 preliminary asteroid detections to NASA. These preliminary detections are submissions by participants where they provide the data and coordinates of their observations and NASA then confirms whether it is an actual asteroid or not. If confirmed, the asteroid is then called a provisional asteroid.
“If I’m being honest, Daksh isn’t as keen about the results as he is about the process of something. Once he got interested in astronomy, I knew he would want to see it through no matter the results,” said Sappna Kapur, Malik’s mother.
Despite being the first student in his school to achieve this feat, and spending a year and half on the project, Malik’s dreams are bigger. Astronomy is an interesting subject, he says, but his real passion lies in law and the judiciary.
“His teachers and I have always supported his choices, and the school has made it possible for him to have so many,” said Kapur. “I remember him spending days at the school’s observatory looking at the night sky through the telescope. If not for this environment, he would have never become the curious child he is.”
It is this curiosity that Vinita Sharat, Malik’s mentor and the STEM head of the school wants to foster in all her students.
“Any kid could get great marks in maths and physics if that’s what we want them to do. But to go beyond the classroom and apply these lessons to practical experiences is where real learning comes from,” said Sharat.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
Also Read: Delhi is missing out on planetary parade due to pollution. Rest of India enjoys watch parties
“I thought maybe I could call it ‘Destroyer of the World’,” said Malik, laughing. “Or since it’s an asteroid maybe ‘Countdown’ would be a catchy yet ominous sounding name.”
Discovery and future plans
Malik, whose primary interests are divided between law and astronomy, participated in the IADP thrice and submitted 6 preliminary asteroid detections to NASA. These preliminary detections are submissions by participants where they provide the data and coordinates of their observations and NASA then confirms whether it is an actual asteroid or not. If confirmed, the asteroid is then called a provisional asteroid.
“If I’m being honest, Daksh isn’t as keen about the results as he is about the process of something. Once he got interested in astronomy, I knew he would want to see it through no matter the results,” said Sappna Kapur, Malik’s mother.
Despite being the first student in his school to achieve this feat, and spending a year and half on the project, Malik’s dreams are bigger. Astronomy is an interesting subject, he says, but his real passion lies in law and the judiciary.
“His teachers and I have always supported his choices, and the school has made it possible for him to have so many,” said Kapur. “I remember him spending days at the school’s observatory looking at the night sky through the telescope. If not for this environment, he would have never become the curious child he is.”
It is this curiosity that Vinita Sharat, Malik’s mentor and the STEM head of the school wants to foster in all her students.
“Any kid could get great marks in maths and physics if that’s what we want them to do. But to go beyond the classroom and apply these lessons to practical experiences is where real learning comes from,” said Sharat.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
Also Read: Delhi is missing out on planetary parade due to pollution. Rest of India enjoys watch parties
Malik, whose primary interests are divided between law and astronomy, participated in the IADP thrice and submitted 6 preliminary asteroid detections to NASA. These preliminary detections are submissions by participants where they provide the data and coordinates of their observations and NASA then confirms whether it is an actual asteroid or not. If confirmed, the asteroid is then called a provisional asteroid.
“If I’m being honest, Daksh isn’t as keen about the results as he is about the process of something. Once he got interested in astronomy, I knew he would want to see it through no matter the results,” said Sappna Kapur, Malik’s mother.
Despite being the first student in his school to achieve this feat, and spending a year and half on the project, Malik’s dreams are bigger. Astronomy is an interesting subject, he says, but his real passion lies in law and the judiciary.
“His teachers and I have always supported his choices, and the school has made it possible for him to have so many,” said Kapur. “I remember him spending days at the school’s observatory looking at the night sky through the telescope. If not for this environment, he would have never become the curious child he is.”
It is this curiosity that Vinita Sharat, Malik’s mentor and the STEM head of the school wants to foster in all her students.
“Any kid could get great marks in maths and physics if that’s what we want them to do. But to go beyond the classroom and apply these lessons to practical experiences is where real learning comes from,” said Sharat.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
Also Read: Delhi is missing out on planetary parade due to pollution. Rest of India enjoys watch parties
“If I’m being honest, Daksh isn’t as keen about the results as he is about the process of something. Once he got interested in astronomy, I knew he would want to see it through no matter the results,” said Sappna Kapur, Malik’s mother.
Despite being the first student in his school to achieve this feat, and spending a year and half on the project, Malik’s dreams are bigger. Astronomy is an interesting subject, he says, but his real passion lies in law and the judiciary.
“His teachers and I have always supported his choices, and the school has made it possible for him to have so many,” said Kapur. “I remember him spending days at the school’s observatory looking at the night sky through the telescope. If not for this environment, he would have never become the curious child he is.”
It is this curiosity that Vinita Sharat, Malik’s mentor and the STEM head of the school wants to foster in all her students.
“Any kid could get great marks in maths and physics if that’s what we want them to do. But to go beyond the classroom and apply these lessons to practical experiences is where real learning comes from,” said Sharat.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
Also Read: Delhi is missing out on planetary parade due to pollution. Rest of India enjoys watch parties
Despite being the first student in his school to achieve this feat, and spending a year and half on the project, Malik’s dreams are bigger. Astronomy is an interesting subject, he says, but his real passion lies in law and the judiciary.
“His teachers and I have always supported his choices, and the school has made it possible for him to have so many,” said Kapur. “I remember him spending days at the school’s observatory looking at the night sky through the telescope. If not for this environment, he would have never become the curious child he is.”
It is this curiosity that Vinita Sharat, Malik’s mentor and the STEM head of the school wants to foster in all her students.
“Any kid could get great marks in maths and physics if that’s what we want them to do. But to go beyond the classroom and apply these lessons to practical experiences is where real learning comes from,” said Sharat.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
Also Read: Delhi is missing out on planetary parade due to pollution. Rest of India enjoys watch parties
“His teachers and I have always supported his choices, and the school has made it possible for him to have so many,” said Kapur. “I remember him spending days at the school’s observatory looking at the night sky through the telescope. If not for this environment, he would have never become the curious child he is.”
It is this curiosity that Vinita Sharat, Malik’s mentor and the STEM head of the school wants to foster in all her students.
“Any kid could get great marks in maths and physics if that’s what we want them to do. But to go beyond the classroom and apply these lessons to practical experiences is where real learning comes from,” said Sharat.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
Also Read: Delhi is missing out on planetary parade due to pollution. Rest of India enjoys watch parties
It is this curiosity that Vinita Sharat, Malik’s mentor and the STEM head of the school wants to foster in all her students.
“Any kid could get great marks in maths and physics if that’s what we want them to do. But to go beyond the classroom and apply these lessons to practical experiences is where real learning comes from,” said Sharat.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
Also Read: Delhi is missing out on planetary parade due to pollution. Rest of India enjoys watch parties
“Any kid could get great marks in maths and physics if that’s what we want them to do. But to go beyond the classroom and apply these lessons to practical experiences is where real learning comes from,” said Sharat.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
Also Read: Delhi is missing out on planetary parade due to pollution. Rest of India enjoys watch parties
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
Also Read: Delhi is missing out on planetary parade due to pollution. Rest of India enjoys watch parties
Also Read: Delhi is missing out on planetary parade due to pollution. Rest of India enjoys watch parties
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