Mars Crater and Features Named After Kerala Places

A 3.5 billion-year-old crater on Mars will now be named after M.S. Krishnan, a famous
Indian geologist. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has approved this name along
with several others suggested by two researchers from Kerala.

In addition to ‘Krishnan,’ the IAU also approved names of smaller Martian features related to the crater: ‘Valiamala,’ ‘Thumba,’ ‘Bekal,’ ‘Varkala,’ and ‘Periyar’ for smaller craters and a valley. This means some places in Kerala now have namesakes on Mars!