UP, Bihar towns on Mars? Indian scientists name newly discovered Martian craters Mursan and Hilsa
Lipika Singh
Jun 14, 2024
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UP, Bihar towns on Mars? Indian scientists name newly discovered Martian craters Mursan and Hilsa
New Craters Discovered on Mars
India's Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) has discovered three unknown craters on Mars. When something is found in space, the first step is to name it, and this responsibility belongs to the International Astronomical Union (IAU).
Since the discovery was made by India, the names should reflect India's choices. The IAU has approved naming two of the craters on Mars after two towns in India, which are from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
The three craters were discovered in the Tharsis volcanic region on Mars. They have been named Mursan Crater, and Hilsa Crater, the third name Lal Crater, is dedicated to the renowned Indian geophysicist and former PRL director, Professor Devendra Lal. The Lal Crater on Mars is 65 kilometers wide. The Mursan Crater as well as Hilsa Crater are 10 kilometers wide respectively.
Hilsa, Mursan, Lal and their Significance
Hilsa is located approximately 45 kilometers southeast of Patna, Hilsa is a sub-division of the Nalanda district in the state of Bihar. Hilsa is named after Hari Nandan Prasad alias, also known as ‘Hilsa Babu’, who was born on this land. It is the birthplace of many freedom fighters and was a major center during the struggle for Indian independence.
Mursan is a town and a nagar panchayat in the Hathras district, which is famous for its Holi Colour, Gulal Powder, ready-made garments, chemicals, carpet manufacturing, artificial moonga-moti pearls, Brass, Artware and Handicraft, Metal handicraft of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The primary language spoken here is Hindi, a dialect of Braj Bhasha, which closely resembles Khariboli. In the past, Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh was the ruler of Mursan. Currently, the chairman of Mursan is Deshraj Singh.
Devendra Lal was born in Varanasi, India. He completed his studies at Banaras Hindu University and then graduated from Bombay University, where he wrote his thesis on cosmic ray physics under the guidance of Bernard Peters. From 1972 to 1983, Lal served as the Director of the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad. Devendra Lal was part of a generation of scientists with broad scientific interests.
His research covered many Earth and Planetary Sciences areas, from the Earth's mantle to the Moon. Along with his students and colleagues, he came up with new ideas, approaches, and experimental methods to study these fields. Their groundbreaking work brought new knowledge and significantly improved our understanding of fundamental processes in various planetary systems.
Why Bihar and UP?
The question arises, why were these two names chosen when there are thousands of towns in India? The name Mursan was chosen because PRL's current director, Dr. Anil Bhardwaj, was born there.
Similarly, Hilsa was chosen because it is the birthplace of Dr. Rajeev Ranjan Bharti, who was part of the team that discovered the new craters on Mars.
According to reports, this discovery is significant from a scientific perspective. The entire area around Lal Crater is covered with lava. The other two craters also have their unique features.
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