INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Kathmandu, December 17
International Astronomical Union, apex body of more than 12,000 professional astronomers around the globe, today a
star and its planet of Exoworld Sagarmatha and Laliguras, respectively.
As per the announcement, the star with code HD100777 has been named
Sagarmatha (Mt Everest) and the planet with code HD100777b has been named Laliguras (Rhododendron, Nepal national flower.) The Exoworld
solar system with a single planet lies around 172 light years away from the earth in Leo Constellation of Milky Way Galaxy
One light year is a distance travelled by light in one year
Scientists have claimed planet Laliguras has possibility of ‘habitable zone.& The names Sagarmatha and Laliguras were selected from the
pool of around 476 names suggested by Nepalis living in 11 different countries
The names were recorded from August 1 to August 31.
IAU had authorised Nepal Astronomical Society to undertake the responsibility to collect
and suggest top five names each, for the star and the planet
NASO had then formed the Name Exoworld National Committee, which shortlisted top 10 names from around 476 names received.
Names short listed
by NAS were Bhrikuti, Kumari, Sagarmatha, Karnali, Tilicho, for the star and Gautam Buddha, Hyatrung, Janak, Laliguras and Manjushree for
the planet.
The committee had then called for another voting to choose a name each, for the plant and the star from among the 10 names
Suresh Bhattarai Chairman of the Name Exoworld National Committee said they had collected 19,823 votes from Nepali voters to pick up two
names from among the 10.
The IAU steering committee and the NENC following multiple rounds of discussions decided to name the star and the
planet as Sagarmatha and Laliguras, respectively.
Bhattarai said, &With today naming we have secured Nepali names for the heavenly
bodies.&
IAU has explained Sagarmatha as ‘Nepali name for the highest peak in the world and symbol of Nepal national pride.& Laligurans
has been explained ‘as rhododendron, the national flower of Nepal.& IAU on the occasion of its 100th anniversary had organised
‘NameExoWorlds& global competition providing opportunity for 112 countries to name the ‘Exoworld& discovered by scientists from across
the world.
There are more than 4,000 Exoworld bodies discovered by scientists and majority of them have been given scientific code
names.
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