Shiva Shakti : Chandrayaan-3 Landing Site Name
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has approved the Chandrayaan-3 landing site name ‘Shiva Shakti’.
- The announcement defined the origin of the name as, a “compound word from Indian mythology that depicts masculine (Shiva) and feminine (Shakti) duality of nature; Landing site of Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram Lander.
- International Astronomical Union (IAU) is a significant body that governs international professional astronomical activities worldwide.
- It was established in 1919 as the first of a series of international unions for the advancement of specific branches of science.
- The headquarters of the IAU is in Paris, France.
- Its mission is to promote and safeguard the science of astronomy in all its aspects, including research, communication, education, and development, through international cooperation.
- The IAU is made up of various divisions, commissions, and working groups representing the various areas of astronomical research, teaching, and other endeavours.
- It is the only organization recognized professionally for the naming of astronomical bodies, which it does solely on the basis of merit, history, or discoverer’s privilege.
- The IAU holds a general assembly every three years in varying parts of the world at which professional astronomers meet to discuss research, new cooperative ventures, and similar matters of professional interest.
