Asteroid named after Malala Yousafzai

An asteroid has been named after the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner and girls' education campaigner Malala Yousafzai, the Malala Fund announced through its blog.

According to Dawn News, an astronomer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Amy Mainzer named Asteroid 316201 after Malala.

Mainzer said that it was an honour to name an asteroid after Malala as very few asteroids were named to honour the contribution of women.

The asteroid lies in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter and was discovered by Mainzer which gives her the right to name it.

The formal designation of the asteroid is 316201 Malala, or 2010 ML48.