Daksh Malik, 14, is already brainstorming potential names for the asteroid he discovered. Among his creative ideas are “Destroyer of the World” and “Countdown”.

Daksh Malik, a Class 9 student from Shiv Nadar School in Noida, has earned recognition from NASA for his provisional discovery of an asteroid, currently labelled as ‘2023 OG40.’ This unique opportunity also grants Daksh the privilege of naming the celestial body after its verification process, which could take around four to five years.

Reflecting on his fascination with space, Daksh told The Print, “I’ve been fascinated with space…I used to watch all these documentaries on National Geographic about planets and the solar system. This is like a dream come true.”

Daksh and two friends from his school have participated in the International Asteroid Discovery Project (IADP) for the past year and a half. They learned about this opportunity through an email from their school’s astronomy club, which introduced them to the International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC). The IASC is a NASA-affiliated citizen science initiative that invites people worldwide—including students—to discover asteroids.

Daksh Malik, a Class 9 student from Shiv Nadar School in Noida, has earned recognition from NASA for his provisional discovery of an asteroid, currently labelled as ‘2023 OG40.’ This unique opportunity also grants Daksh the privilege of naming the celestial body after its verification process, which could take around four to five years.

Reflecting on his fascination with space, Daksh told The Print, “I’ve been fascinated with space…I used to watch all these documentaries on National Geographic about planets and the solar system. This is like a dream come true.”

Daksh and two friends from his school have participated in the International Asteroid Discovery Project (IADP) for the past year and a half. They learned about this opportunity through an email from their school’s astronomy club, which introduced them to the International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC). The IASC is a NASA-affiliated citizen science initiative that invites people worldwide—including students—to discover asteroids.

Despite over 6,000 participants joining the IADP annually, only a handful successfully discover new asteroids. Before Daksh, just five other Indian students had achieved a named asteroid discovery.

While waiting for NASA’s final verification, Daksh is brainstorming potential names for his asteroid. His ideas range from the dramatic “Destroyer of the World” to the intriguing “Countdown”.

source/content: indianexpress.com (headline edited)