18 Engineering & Science Students of Chandigarh University Designated as ‘NASA Citizen Scientist’ for Discovery of ‘New Asteroids’
Mohali – Taking a giant leap in the global space-science research, the students of Chandigarh University have been designated as NASA Citizen Scientists under the internationally renowned International Asteroid Search Campaign (IASC), a prestigious citizen-science initiative by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) recently.
In a remarkable achievement that marks a defining milestone in Chandigarh University’s space-science journey, showcasing their exceptional dedication, analytical skills and scientific temper as many as 18 students from Chandigarh University Astronomy Club have been officially recognized and certified as NASA Citizen Scientists. Out of 26 participating students, two teams earned this global distinction for their verified scientific contributions to international asteroid-monitoring efforts.
As part of an intensive 45-day programme under the International Asteroid Search Campaign (IASC), the students engaged in rigorous deep-space data analysis using advanced astronomical tools and techniques. Demonstrating exceptional precision and scientific acumen, their sustained efforts culminated in the discovery of two new asteroids, provisionally designated ‘DIV/1111’ and ‘ANC/0505’, marking a remarkable achievement in student-led space-science research. These teams engaged with the provided datasets, analyzed images using Astrometric, a specialized software used to detect and measure asteroids and other moving celestial objects from telescope images and submitted reports as per IASC guidelines. The students at Chandigarh University who earned recognition as NASA Citizen Scientists comprise 15 from the Aerospace Engineering stream, two from the Science and one from the Computer Science Engineering stream.