Renowned Indian Professor and esteemed scientist Jayant Murthy has been honored with the naming of an asteroid after him. This distinguished figure is celebrated for his groundbreaking contributions to space missions, ultraviolet astronomy, and the study of the interstellar medium. Formerly known as 2005 EX296, the asteroid has now been officially designated as (215884) Jayantmurthy, following an announcement by the International Astronomical Union's (IAU) Working Group, which oversees the naming of small celestial bodies in our Solar System.
The asteroid (215884) Jayantmurthy was first discovered by MW Buie in 2005 at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, USA. It follows a complete orbit around the Sun every 3.3 years, situated between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
In addition to this stellar honor, Prof. Jayant Murthy has been integral to NASA's New Horizons Science Team. This team gained global attention in 2015 for its historic flyby of Pluto, providing unprecedented views and data of the dwarf planet and its moons. Prof. Murthy, who retired from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) in 2021 but continues as an Honorary Professor, also served as the acting Director of IIA from July 2018 to October 2019.
His expertise in studying ultraviolet background radiation, particularly in regions far beyond the reach of solar interference and interplanetary medium, has been invaluable to the New Horizons mission. It is these contributions that led to the asteroid's naming in his honor.
Expressing his gratitude for this recognition, Prof. Murthy stated, "I am thrilled to have an asteroid named after me, in connection with my work on the New Horizons team, led by Dr. Alan Stern."
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