A planet has been named after Indian Chess Master Viswanathan Anand. A minor planet (4538), situated roughly between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, has been named after the the former World Chess Champion. The planet has been named as ‘4538 Vishyanand‘. Sports Persons who have minor planets named after them are Roger Federer, Jesse Owens, Arsene Wenger, Donald Bradman.
Tidbits
- The planet was discovered by Kenzo Suzuki of Toyota, Japan, on October 10, 1988.
- The planet was remained unnamed for more than 10 years.
- Usually, the discoverer has the sole rights to name the minor planet. When the objects remain nameless for more than ten years, the naming rights comes to the International Astronomical Union(IAU).
- One of the staff members of Minor Planet Center, Michael Rudenko, was invited to name the object.
- Rudenko said he choose Anand’s name for the minor planet, because he is a great chess player, a gentle man, and also an astronomy enthusiast.
