Two Indian names competing to name new celestial objects

Haridwar: Names of two Indians are among 247 other nominees competing to name 22 newly discovered celestial objects.

The contest, organised by International Astronomical Union (IAU), has included names of spiritual guru and founder of Shantikunj Ashram in Haridwar - Shriram Sharma and his wife Bhagwati Devi - which, if voted, can be selected to be named after a star.

Anyone can participate and vote for naming these celestial objects named by October 31, member of Shantikunj Ashram, Pranav Pandya, said.

He appealed to the people from India to take part in voting.

Various interested parties from 45 countries submitted 247 proposals for the names of the 22 celestial objects.

These proposed names can now be voted at the NameExoWorlds website. A full list of the stars can be found on the website.

The names of the planets in each system, as well as their host stars, are open to public voting excluding the five stars in the list that already have historical names, according to IAU website.