IAU

The Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, announced on Friday that the International Astronomical Union (IAU) has honored renowned Indian astrophysicist Prof Jayant Murthy by naming an asteroid after him. The asteroid, previously designated as "2005 EX296," has now been officially named "(215884) Jayantmurthy" by the IAU's Working Group on Small Bodies Nomenclature. Positioned between Mars and Jupiter, the asteroid completes one orbit around the Sun every 3.3 years. Prof Murthy's Contributions to the New…

The solar system has eight planets. But it wasn't always the case. In 1930, when Pluto was first discovered by American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh, it was considered the ninth planet of the solar system. In fact, it continued to be known as a planet till 2006 when the International Astronomical Union (IAU) redefined the definition of a planet and reclassified Pluto as a "dwarf planet". While astronomers found an agreement over Pluto, it didn't last long. In recent years, questions have been raised on classification of…