THERE are things around us in Malaysia that are being named after prominent people - be it a school building, roads, airports or even dishes.
Usually, the names are given to commemorate these individuals for their contributions to our society.
But what about something that is literally out of our world, like an asteroid? Is there an asteroid travelling through space named after a Malaysian?
Verdict:
TRUE
In July 2015, Sarawakian Faye Jong Sow Fei became the first Malaysian to have an asteroid named after her.
The Lincoln Observatory Near-Earth Object Team (LINEAR) has named the asteroid as 31460Jongsowfei (1999 CV19) to honour her success at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in 2014 for her environmental management project.
"I am very honoured for the award. I was informed last year that the asteroid will be named after me. I am very delighted having won the competition last year.
"It was really a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me and I hope that those following my footsteps one day will make full use of the golden chance that is bestowed upon them to weave wonderful and lasting memories that will be with them forever," she told Sabah newspaper Daily Express in 2015.
Jong, who was 17-years-old at the time, was a student at the SMK Batu Lintang School in Kuching, Sarawak.
The asteroid was actually discovered on Feb 10, 1999 by LINEAR.
Jong added that she had clarified with the National Space Agency (Angkasa) had informed her that she was the first Malaysian to receive such an honour.
She won the Environmental Management Award last year through the presentation of the project entitled "Biowaste as Eco-Friendly Materials Mordants in Fabric Dye Process".
She was the first Malaysian to win the grand prize at the competition, which was attended by some1,700 students representing 70 countries in 2014.
Data about this asteroid can be found here (https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/
Perhaps one day, you could contribute something significant to society and have something named after you. But even if you don't, just be kind and continue shining as bright as the stars.
Source:
1. https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/
2. https://www.dailyexpress.com.
