For the location where Chandrayaan-3’s moon lander Vikram landed, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group on Planetary System Nomenclature has approved a name – Statio Shiv Shakti.
On the origin of the name Statio Shiva Shakti, the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature states: “Compound word from Indian mythology denoting the masculine (“Shiva”) and feminine (“Shakti”) duality of nature; Landing site of Vikram Lander of Chandrayaan-3.”
“This gazetteer contains detailed information about all names of topographic and albedo features on planets and satellites (and some planetary rings and ring-gap systems) that have been named and approved by the IAU from its inception in 1919 to the present day ,” it said.
The name was approved by the IAU on 19 March.
According to the Gazetteer, planetary nomenclature is used to uniquely identify a feature on the surface of a planet or satellite so that the feature can be easily located and described.
The International Astronomical Union is the globally recognized authority for naming planetary surface features.
The Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Astrogeology Science Center on behalf of the IAU.
On August 23, 2023, Chandrayaan-3 successfully landed on the south pole of the Moon.
On 26 August 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that the place where Chandrayaan-3’s moon lander landed would be known as ‘Shiv Shakti’.
“The point where Chandrayaan-3’s moon lander landed will now be known as Shiv Shakti. Shiva has a resolution for the welfare of humanity and Shakti gives us the power to fulfill those resolutions. This Shiva Shakti point of the Moon also gives a sense of connectivity from the Himalayas to Kanyakumari,” Modi had said.
Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on 14 July 2023. The spacecraft was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
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Published: March 24, 2024, 06:22 PM IST
