Hindus have welcomed the naming of a crater on Charon, Pluto’s largest and far-flung moon, after Revati, which finds mention in ancient Hindu texts.
In Hinduism, Revati is wife of Balabhadrarama, elder brother of Lord Krishna; and is also one of the 27 stars mentioned in Mahabharata.
The International Astronomical Union (IAU), the internationally recognized authority for naming celestial bodies and their surface features, recently approved the name of Revati Crater on Charon (one of the larger bodies in the Kuiper Belt with a wealth of geological features), which was proposed by NASA’s New Horizons team.
Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, calling it a step in the positive direction, urged IAU to explore the richness of thought offered by Sanskrit texts of Hinduism and name more celestial bodies after names and concepts found in ancient Hindu texts.
Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, further said that that Sanskrit, which was known as “the language of the gods”, provided the theoretical foundation of ancient sciences. According to tradition, self-born God created Sanskrit, which was everlasting and divine, Zed added.
Founded in 1919 and headquartered in Paris, the IAU is the world’s largest professional body for astronomers. Dr. Silvia Torres-Peimbert and Dr. Piero Benvenuti are President and General Secretary respectively.
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