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A crater in dwarf planet Ceres named after a Korean goddess

A crater in dwarf planet Ceres named after a Korean goddess

Posted October. 13, 2017 07:36,   

Updated October. 13, 2017 09:22

한국어

A crater in "Ceres," which is the largest object in the asteroid belt that lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, has been named after a Korean goddess, the national astronomical community confirms. This is the first time that Korean name is used for a place in a dwarf planet.

According to the national astronomical community, the International Astronomical Union officially approved the names of the 13 craters found in Ceres at the end of August this year, and one of them was named "Jacheongbi." Jacheongbi is the goddess of agriculture who brought the seeds of five grains from the heavens and is the heroin of a Jeju Island myth, "The Story of Segyeong." In the story, Jacheongbi is portrayed as a strong woman who gets married to a man she loves against all odds.

The name was suggested by Dr. Stefan Schroeder of the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Dr. Schroeder belongs to a research team that studies the data being sent by an unmanned probe "Dawn." Dawn has been on its mission to explore Ceres since 2007.

The International Astronomical Union decided to choose the names of craters in Ceres from the goddesses of agriculture around the world as the name Ceres came from a goddess of grain crops in ancient Roman religion. "Among thousands of craters in Ceres, I suggested to name the crater with a boulder Jacheongbi," he said in an email interview with the Dong-A Ilbo. "I have always been interested in Korea's rich culture and long history, which prompted me to look up Korean literature and find a goddess of agriculture in Korea.

"I hope the Jacheongbi crater will serve as an opportunity to raise public awareness of Korea's planetary science studies, including lunar exploration project."



yhlee@donga.com