Daksh Malik, a Class 9 student from Shiv Nadar School in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, has made a remarkable achievement by discovering an asteroid under the International Asteroid Discovery Project (IADP), an initiative affiliated with NASA. As a result, Malik has been given the rare opportunity to choose a permanent name for the asteroid, currently known as ‘2023 OG40.’
How the Discovery Happened
Daksh, along with two friends, spent a year and a half hunting for asteroids as part of the IADP. Their journey began in 2022 when their school’s astronomy club introduced them to the International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC), a citizen science program where participants can discover asteroids.
This global initiative allows students and enthusiasts worldwide to contribute to asteroid discovery, with NASA verifying the results. Malik, who has long been fascinated with space, described the experience as a “dream come true” and recalled watching documentaries about the solar system on National Geographic.
The Discovery Process
Under the IADP, the trio downloaded IASC’s datasets, calibrated them using Astronomica software, and observed celestial objects for any potential asteroid-like movements. Their task was to spot objects that emitted light within the asteroid’s expected range and showed signs of motion. Malik referred to the process as a “fun exercise,” adding that it felt like he was working directly with NASA.
While the asteroid is currently known as ‘2023 OG40,’ named after the year of its discovery, it will undergo several years of tests and verification by NASA. Only after this process will Malik officially get to assign a permanent name to it. He has already brainstormed names like ‘Destroyer of the World’ and ‘Countdown.’
A Rare Achievement
Malik is one of the few students globally to discover a named asteroid, and he joins a select group of Indian students who have accomplished this feat. Before him, five other Indian students had also made asteroid discoveries recognized by NASA.
This accomplishment highlights the power of citizen science, allowing students like Daksh to make significant contributions to space research, even at a young age.
