Three recently discovered craters on the surface of Mars are named after the late renowned cosmic ray physicist Devendra Lal and the cities of Mursan and Hilsa in northern India.
The three craters are located in the Red Planet’s Tharsis volcanic region, Ahmedabad-based BRL, a division of the Indian government’s space agency, said on Wednesday.
The discovery was made by a team of scientists comprising researchers working at the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) here in 2021, and was named by an international organization earlier this month.
Tharsis is a vast volcanic plateau located near the equator in the western hemisphere of Mars. The region is home to some of the largest volcanoes in the solar system.
On the recommendation of PRL, the International Astronomical Union for Planetary System Nomenclature (IAU) on June 5 approved naming the craters as “Lal” crater, “Mursan” crater and “Hilsa” crater.
Mursan and Hilsa are the names of cities located in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar respectively.
The discovery of the craters provided conclusive evidence that large amounts of sediment moved into the newly discovered Lal Crater, and the study also confirmed that Mars was once wet and had water on its surface.
Lal Crater
The 65 km wide crater centered at -20.98°, 209.34° is named “Lal Crater” in honor of renowned Indian geophysicist Devendra Law, who headed the PRL from 1972 to 1983.
Professor Devendra Lal is a cosmic ray physicist and Earth and planetary scientist known for the diversity and creativity of his research interests.
Mursan Crater
A small 10 km wide crater on the eastern edge of Lal Crater is named “Mursan Crater” after a town in Uttar Pradesh, India. The name Mursan was chosen to honor Dr. Anil Bhardwaj, the current director of PRL, as it is the birthplace of a renowned planetary scientist.
Hilsa Crater
The Hilsa trough is another 10 km wide trough that overlaps the western edge of the Lal trough. Named “Hilsa Crater”, it is the name of a town in Bihar, India.
It is also the birthplace of PRL scientist Dr. Rajeev Ranjan Bharti, who was one of the team that discovered these new craters on Mars. The pit is named after Hilsa, the town where he was born, to honor him.
