Chandrayaan 3’s landing point ‘Shiv Shakti’ gets official Recognition

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on August 26 that the landing site of Chandrayaan 3’s moon lander would bear the name Shiv Shakti. This declaration came six months ago, and now, the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the globally recognized authority for naming celestial objects, has officially endorsed this designation. The IAU’s Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature approved the name Statio Shiv Shakti for the landing site of Chandrayaan’s Vikram lander.

Chandrayaan 3, India’s third lunar mission, commenced its journey from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on July 14. After approximately a month, on August 23, the Vikram lander successfully made its descent onto the moon’s surface, accompanied by the Pragyan Rover. This significant milestone marked India as the first nation to achieve a landing near the lunar South Pole and only the fourth globally to accomplish a controlled lunar landing. Following ten days of exploration on the lunar terrain, both the lander and rover entered sleep mode, while the propulsion module remained in lunar orbit subsequent to its separation from the lander.

The concept of Shiv Shakti as the name for the landing site was elucidated by PM Narendra Modi during its announcement on August 26. He articulated that within “Shiv,” there lies the resolve for humanity’s welfare, and “Shakti” empowers us to fulfill those resolutions. The IAU’s Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature officially published the name, describing it as a compound word from Indian mythology symbolizing the masculine (“Shiva”) and feminine (“Shakti”) duality of nature.

The practice of naming celestial bodies serves a crucial purpose akin to naming places on Earth. It facilitates identification and communication about specific features on planets and moons. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has been curating this list of names since 1919, encompassing various spots on planets, moons, and even certain ring systems. Such nomenclature aids scientists in locating and describing these celestial locales with greater precision and clarity.

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