Shiv Shakti, Jawahar Sthal: How are spots on the Moon named?

Last Wednesday (23 August) India made history through its Chandrayaan-3 mission – it became the first country to land on the Moon’s south pole and the fourth ever to soft land on the lunar surface. It was a proud day for India and India’s scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Hailing their achievement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Saturday after returning from his BRICS and Greece visit, said that ISRO scientists had taken ‘Make in India’ to the Moon. “Today, I am feeling a different level of happiness… such occasions are very rare… this time, I was so restless… I was in South Africa but my mind was with you,” Modi said the ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network Mission Control Complex on Saturday. The prime minister also announced that it is “convention to name the spot of the touchdown on the moon. And India too has now decided to name the point where Vikram lander touched down. That point will now be known as ‘Shiv Shakti Point’.” Also read: How PM Narendra Modi has backed ISRO through thick and thin He further elaborated that the ‘Shakti’ in the name came from the hard work and perseverance of women scientists. Moreover, the point on the lunar surface where Chandrayaan-2 had crash-landed in 2019 would also be named ‘Tiranga Point’. “India has decided to also name the point where Chandrayaan-2’s Vikram lander crash-landed. India had decided not to name that point at that time as it did not feel right. But today, when the Chandrayaan-3 mission successfully landed on the Moon, the moment is right to dedicate a name to the point where Chandrayaan-2 left its mark. Since we now have ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ and the Tiranga is even there on the Moon, it is only apt to name the point ‘Tiranga Point’ – India’s first contact with the surface of the Moon,” PM Modi announced. However, the decision to name the spots where India landed has run into controversy. We take a closer look at how points on the lunar surface are named and what is the row that has broken out between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress. What’s in a name? Shortly after PM Modi made the announcement of naming the Moon points as Shiv Shakti and Tiranga, the Congress raised objections, sparking a war of words between the two parties. The PM, on Saturday, explained the reasoning behind the name ‘Shiv Shakti’. The name draws from Hindu mythology. Modi elaborated that there’s a connection between humanitarian determination and the concept of Shiva. He pointed out that from Shakti arises the capability to actualise these humanitarian ambitions. The ‘Shakti’ component within ‘Shiv Shakti’ is a tribute to the diligence, inspiration, and empowerment of women scientists. [caption id=“attachment_13046232” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Prime Minister Narendra Modi being welcomed by ISRO Chairman S Somanath upon his arrival at the ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC), in Bengaluru on Saturday. It was then that the PM announced that the spot where the Chandrayaan-3 lander landed would be called Shiv Shakti. PTI[/caption] He further added that “Shiv Shakti Point” represents more than just a name; it stands as a source of inspiration for future generations. This title encapsulates a profound message: The potential of scientific prowess can be harnessed to elevate humanity’s welfare. Also read: Chandrayaan-3: What will happen after 14 days? Will lander, rover return to Earth? Unhappy with the move, Congress’ Rashid Alvi said the name was ridiculous, adding that the PM had no right in naming the lunar points. “The entire world will laugh. Who has given PM Modi the right to name a point on the Moon. We have landed, it is very good. We are proud of it, no doubt in it. But we are not the owner of the Moon or the point,” said Alvi in a television interview. However, the BJP hit back at Alvi and the Congress with Jawahar Point. For the unaware, Jawahar Point is the name where Chandrayaan-1 crash-landed on the Moon in 2008. BJP’s spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said the Congress only revealing its ‘anti-Hindu’ self. “This is the same party that questions the existence of Lord Ram, opposes Ram Temple and abuses Hindus. Both the names – Shiv Shakti Point and Tiranga Point – are attached to the country. Why does Rashid Alvi find this ridiculous? And then the leaders call themselves ‘janeudhari’. The Congress has family first principle. They will only praise Gandhi family, Jawaharlal Nehru. Vikram lander is named after Vikram Sarabhai,” Poonawalla said. “Had it been the UPA (the United Progressive Alliance), they would have never sent Chandrayaan-2 and 3 and if they did they would have named it Indira Point and Rajiv Point,” the BJP leader added. When asked about the naming row, ISRO chairman S Somnath said there was no need for a controversy over the naming of the Chandrayaan-3 landing point as ‘Shiv Shakti’ as Prime Minister Narendra Modi narrated the meaning of the word in a manner that suits everyone. On Sunday, after offering prayers to a temple in Thiruvananthapuram, S Somnath told reporters as per ANI, “The explanation that the honourable prime minister gave on ‘Shiv Shakti’, he represented it as a combination of man and woman, the contribution of women in ISRO and the need to create that kind of synergy in the organisation. So he narrated the meaning of the word in a manner that suits all of us. There is nothing wrong with that. He also gave the next name to ‘Tiranga’. Both are Indian-sounding names. He has a prerogative of naming it being the prime minister of the country.” “It’s not the first time a name has been given. Indian names are already there. We have a Sarabhai crater on the Moon. Each country can give their names. Naming is a tradition. There is no controversy over the matter,” he said. But then how does one name points on the Moon? The Moon, as per the Outer Space Treaty – drafted by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs – clearly states that “outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means.” This means that no country can stake claim to any celestial body, including the Moon. As Alexander Soucek, head of public international law at the European Space Agency, said in a DW report, “A nation can plant a flag on the moon, but it doesn’t have any legal meaning or consequence…” As for naming parts of the Moon, the International Astronomical Union (IAU), founded in 1919, is the body responsible for planetary and satellite nomenclature. [caption id=“attachment_13046242” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Children look at a sand art created by the Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik on the successful soft landing of ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 on the surface of the Moon, in Denver city, Colorado. PTI[/caption] On the naming process, the IAU website states that when the first images of the surface of a planet or satellite are obtained, new themes for naming features are chosen and names of a few important features are proposed, usually by the appropriate IAU Task Group in collaboration with the mission team. After following protocols, the IAU’s Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN) ultimately approves proposed names in these cases. Upon successful review by vote of the members of the WGPSN, the proposed names are considered approved as official IAU nomenclature, and then used on maps and in publications, the website further adds. The process of approving a name, however, is time consuming. For example, in 2020, China’s Chang’e 5 Moon mission landed on the lunar surface and the site was named Statio Tianchuan. ‘Statio’ means a post or station in Latin and is also used in the formal name for NASA’s Apollo 11 landing site, Statio Tranquillitatis, according to Space.com. ‘Tianchuan’ came from a Chinese constellation name, which means ship sailing in the Milky Way. The name was approved only in May 2021 by the IAU. What are the protocols in naming the Moon sites? When it comes to naming points on the Moon, be it a landing site or a crater, the IAU has put in some guidelines and rules. The IAU states that names should be “simple, clear, and unambiguous” and should not duplicate existing names. Moreover, names should not have any political, military or religious significance, except for names of political figures prior to the 19th Century. The IAU website clearly states that “commemoration of persons on planetary bodies should not normally be a goal in itself, but may be employed in special circumstances… Persons being so honoured must have been deceased for at least three years, before a proposal may be submitted.” With inputs from agencies