In a rare honour for an Indian, space agency NASA has named a ‘minor’ planet after a Kerala zoology professor in appreciation of his environmental research and campaigns.

Sainudeen Pattazhy, who teaches in a local college, was informed on Wednesday by Jet Propulsions Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology under NASA that minor planet ‘5178 No CD4’ had been named after him.
The planet was discovered by US-based scientist Rajmohan in 1989, Sainudeen said.

According to Sainudeen, it was Rajmohan himself who proposed that the planet be given his name on coming to know of the researches conducted by him on a host of ecological and environmental issues.

Sainudeen said he was elated that the remote village Pattazhy in Kollam district has found a ‘celestial niche’.