Martian features may soon be named after Kerala's researchers and places

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Names of researchers and places from Kerala have been approved for geographic features on Mars -- among these is a 3.5-billion-year-old crater that will be named after pioneering geologist M S Krishnan, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) has announced.

"The IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature has approved the names Krishnan, Valiamala, Varkala, Thumba, Bekal, Krishnan Palus, and Periyar Vallis for seven features on Mars," the announcement dated November 24 reads.

Krishnan was the first Indian to serve as the Director of the Geological Survey of India in 1951.

"Once names are approved by the IAU WGPSN, they can be used on maps and in publications," Ramasamy Venugopal from the IAU's Office of Astronomy for Development said in an email to PTI.

Founded in 1919, the IAU's mission is to promote and safeguard astronomy in all its aspects, including research, communication and education, through international cooperation. Members of the organisation from across 92 countries are professional astronomers.

Since inception, the IAU has been the arbiter of planetary nomenclature and was later recognised by the United Nations.

Large craters that are 50 kilometres or more in diameter can be named after scientists, especially those who have contributed significantly to the study of Mars, according to the IAU's nomenclature rules.

Smaller craters can be named after small towns and villages from around the world with populations of one lakh or less. "This category is simply a large source of crater names. No commemoration of specific towns or villages is intended," the rules say.

Located in the Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala, Valiamala is home to the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, to which researchers who proposed the names for Martian landforms were affiliated with. The crater named after the place is located west of the Krishnan crater.

Varkala is a coastal municipality and a suburb in Thiruvananthapuram, well-known for its beach. The crater named after Varkala has been marked within the Krishnan crater, according to the IAU's website.

The Thumba crater, about 19 kilometres in diameter, has been marked south-east of the Krishnan crater and is named after the place where the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) took birth in 1962.

The Bekal crater, under five kilometres in diameter, is located east of the Krishnan crater and is named after a town, known for its 17th-century coastal fort.