Statio Shiv Shakti

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has approved the Chandrayaan-3 landing site name ‘Shiva Shakti’. The approval came on March 19 after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement following the success of...

Ruby Thakur
March 28, 2024
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The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has approved the Chandrayaan-3 landing site name ‘Shiva Shakti’. The approval came on March 19 after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement following the success of the mission on August 26, 2023. “IAU working group for Planetary System Nomenclature has approved the name station ‘Shiv Shakti’ for the landing site of Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander,” the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, which provides detailed information about planetary names by IAU said.

Statio Shiv Shakti

Why In News

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has approved the Chandrayaan-3 landing site name ‘Shiva Shakti’. The approval came on March 19 after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement following the success of the mission on August 26, 2023.

“IAU working group for Planetary System Nomenclature has approved the name station ‘Shiv Shakti’ for the landing site of Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander,” the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, which provides detailed information about planetary names by IAU said.

All You Need To Know

The IAU is the internationally recognised authority for assigning names to planetary surface features. It follows some rules and conventions to do so.
“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 states.

For example, Rule 4 emphasizes the international nature of solar system nomenclature, with final name selection resting with the IAU, while Rule 9 prohibits the use of names with political, military, or religious significance, except for those of political figures predating the 19th century.
The Astrogeology Science Centre of the U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the IAU and with funding from NASA, maintains the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, serving as a vital resource for planetary naming conventions and approvals.

For the unversed, ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 was launched on July 14, 2023, from Satish Dhawan Space Centre Second Launch Pad in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, India.
The spacecraft landed on the Moon’s South Pole on August 23, 2023. Shortly after the successful landing of the Chandrayaan-3, on August 26, PM Modi announced that the point where the moon lander of Chandrayaan-3 touched down would be called ‘Shiv Shakti’.

The announcement defined the origin of the name as, a “compound word from Indian mythology that depicts masculine (Shiva) and feminine (Shakti) duality of nature; Landing site of Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram Lander.
While the Chandrayaan-2 landing failure spot will be called “Tiranga point”, the day of the touchdown of the Vikram Lander on the Moon (August 23) will be celebrated as “National Space Day” in the country, PM Modi had stated.
“India has decided to name the touchdown point where Vikram Lander made a soft landing on the Moon as “Shiv Shakti Point”.

PM Modi has said that the Moon’s Shiv Shakti point will be a symbol of unity from the Himalayas to Kanyakumari.
“The Shiv Shakti Point will inspire future generations in the direction of the use of science for the welfare of humanity,” PM Modi had underlined.

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Ruby Thakur

General Studies Lecturer SSBCrackExams, BSc In PCM, Trained Students For State Services Exams. Expertise in Geography ,Polity & Current Affairs. Love Travelling.