Indian Scientist Honored: Asteroid Named After Professor Jayant Murthy
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Scientist Honored | Professor Jayant Murthy |
| Honor | Asteroid named as (215884) Jayantmurthy |
| Asteroid Discovery | Discovered in 2005 by MW Buie at Kitt Peak National Observatory, Arizona, USA |
| Previous Name | 2005 EX296 |
| Orbit Characteristics | Orbits the Sun between Mars and Jupiter every 3.3 years |
| Career Highlights | - Acting Director at Indian Institute of Astrophysics (July 2018-Oct 2019) - Honorary Professor at IIA |
| Key Contributions | - Interstellar medium - Ultraviolet astronomy - NASA's New Horizons Science Team |
| New Horizons Mission | - Launched by NASA - Historic flyby of Pluto in 2015 |
| Previous Honorees from IIA | MK Vainu Bappu, JC Bhattacharyya |
| IAU Details | - President: Debra Elmegreen - Headquarters: Paris, France - Founded: 28 July 1919 - General Secretary: Piero Benvenuti |