Rangia student earns rare NASA recognition for Asteroid discoveries

Arian Jishan Ahmed, a young student from Ward No. 3 in Rangia, has brought pride to the region after receiving rare recognition from the United States space research agency, NASA, for his contribution to asteroid research.

The recognition was awarded for Arian’s work under the International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC), an international citizen-science program that enables students and researchers to participate in real astronomical discoveries. As part of this initiative, Arian successfully identified two previously unrecorded asteroids, which have now been officially designated by the IASC as 2024 VE8 and 2024 VC23.

Arian Jishan Ahmed is the son of Mirajul Islam and Ruma Nazrin and is currently pursuing his B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya (USTM). He is in the first semester of his undergraduate studies.

The discoveries were made during the official IASC research campaign conducted between October 25 and November 19, 2024. During this period, Arian analyzed observational data collected by Pan-STARRS (Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System), a powerful astronomical survey system operated by the Institute for Astronomy of the University of Hawaii, in collaboration with NASA. Through careful analysis of this data, he was able to detect and confirm two new main-belt asteroids that had not been previously documented.

Main-belt asteroids are large rocky bodies that orbit the Sun in the region between Mars and Jupiter. Research on such asteroids plays a crucial role in helping scientists understand the early formation and evolution of the solar system. Additionally, identifying and tracking these objects contributes to long-term monitoring of celestial bodies in space.

Arian’s achievement at such an early stage of his academic career has been widely appreciated, highlighting the growing contribution of young Indian students to global space research and scientific discovery.

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