For the site where Chandrayaan-3’s moon lander Vikram had landed, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) working group for planetary system nomenclature has approved a name –Statio Shiv Shakti.
On the origin of the Statio Shiv Shakti name, the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature said: “Compound word from Indian mythology that depicts the masculine (“Shiva”) and feminine (“Shakti”) duality of nature; Landing site of Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander.”
“This gazetteer contains detailed information about all names of topographic and albedo features on planets and satellites (and some planetary ring and ring-gap systems) that the IAU has named and approved from its founding in 1919 through the present time,” it said.
The name was approved by the IAU on 19 March.
Planetary nomenclature is used to uniquely identify a feature on the surface of a planet or satellite so that the feature can be easily located and described, according to the gazetteer.
The International Astronomical Union is a globally recognised authority for assigning nomenclature to planetary surface features.
The Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature is maintained by the Astrogeology Science Center of the US Geological Survey on behalf of the IAU.
On 23 August 2023, the Chandrayaan-3 had landed successfully on the lunar south pole.
On 26 August 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that the site where the Chandrayaan-3’s moon lander had landed will be known as ‘Shiv Shakti’.
“The point where the moon lander of Chandrayaan-3 landed will now be known as Shiv Shakti. In Shiv, there is resolution for the welfare of humanity and Shakti gives us strength to fulfil those resolutions. This Shiv Shakti point of the moon also gives a sense of connection with Himalaya to Kanyakumari,” Modi had said.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 14 July 2023. The spacecraft was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
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Published: 24 Mar 2024, 06:22 PM IST