Now, asteroid named after Malala Yousafzai!

Islamabad: NASA astronomer has named an asteroid after the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner and girls' education campaigner Malala Yousafzai.

Asteroid '316201 Malala' is named by Amy Mainzer—an astronomer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, reportedly.

The asteroid is located in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter. It was discovered by Amy Mainzer in 2010. About 4 kilometers in diameter, it orbits the sun every five-and-a-half years. The surface of  the asteroid is very dark, similar to the colour of printer toner.

Mainzer was quoted as saying, "It is a great honour to be able to name an asteroid after Malala. My postdoctoral fellow Dr. Carrie Nugent brought to my attention the fact that although many asteroids have been named, very few have been named to honor the contributions of women."

(With IANS inputs)