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BENGALURU: The Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, said on Friday that the International Astronomical Union (IAU) has named a asteroid in honor of renowned Indian astrophysicist Prof. Jayant Murthy in recognition of his pioneering work in ultraviolet astronomy and space missions.
The asteroid, previously known as “2005 EX296”, has now been designated as “(215884) Jayantmurthy” by the IAU Small Body Nomenclature Working Group. It orbits the Sun between Mars and Jupiter, completing one revolution every 3.3 years.
Professor Murthy, who retired from IIA in 2021 and continues as an honorary professor, expressed his delight at the rare honor bestowed upon him. “I am delighted to have an asteroid named after me, in connection with my work on NASA’s New Horizons science team to observe ultraviolet background radiation in the Universe,” he said.
The asteroid’s name recognizes Professor Murthy’s contributions to the New Horizons mission, which studied Pluto in unprecedented detail during its flyby in 2015 and has since ventured deeper into the Kuiper Belt, the IIA said.
His research focuses on measuring the ultraviolet cosmic background, a task best performed from the outer Solar System, where interference from the Sun and the interplanetary medium is minimized.
Professor Annapurni Subramaniam, director of the IIA, called the asteroid’s naming “a very rare honor.” She joins the ranks of previous IIA directors, Professor MK Vainu Bappu and Professor JC Bhattacharyya, who also have asteroids named after her.
Joice Mathew, a former student of Professor Murthy and currently at Mount Stromlo Observatory in Australia, said: “This recognition is certainly well deserved,” adding that everyone who knows Professor Murthy must be “delighted to know that he now exists a ‘Jayantmurthy’. ‘up in the sky.”
The asteroid, previously known as “2005 EX296”, has now been designated as “(215884) Jayantmurthy” by the IAU Small Body Nomenclature Working Group. It orbits the Sun between Mars and Jupiter, completing one revolution every 3.3 years.
Professor Murthy, who retired from IIA in 2021 and continues as an honorary professor, expressed his delight at the rare honor bestowed upon him. “I am delighted to have an asteroid named after me, in connection with my work on NASA’s New Horizons science team to observe ultraviolet background radiation in the Universe,” he said.
The asteroid’s name recognizes Professor Murthy’s contributions to the New Horizons mission, which studied Pluto in unprecedented detail during its flyby in 2015 and has since ventured deeper into the Kuiper Belt, the IIA said.
His research focuses on measuring the ultraviolet cosmic background, a task best performed from the outer Solar System, where interference from the Sun and the interplanetary medium is minimized.
Professor Annapurni Subramaniam, director of the IIA, called the asteroid’s naming “a very rare honor.” She joins the ranks of previous IIA directors, Professor MK Vainu Bappu and Professor JC Bhattacharyya, who also have asteroids named after her.
Joice Mathew, a former student of Professor Murthy and currently at Mount Stromlo Observatory in Australia, said: “This recognition is certainly well deserved,” adding that everyone who knows Professor Murthy must be “delighted to know that he now exists a ‘Jayantmurthy’. ‘up in the sky.”
