The Moon, Earth’s celestial companion, bears the scars of countless impacts from space debris, resulting in a vast network of craters. A recent discovery has etched a piece of Korean history onto the lunar surface, as a crater on the far side of the Moon has been named after the 19th-century Joseon-era astronomer and mathematician, Nam Byeong-Cheol.
This momentous occasion was officially recognized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) on August 14, 2024, following a recommendation from the Danuri Magnetometer Payload research team at Kyung Hee University. This marks the first time a Korean scientist has been bestowed with the honor of having a lunar crater named after them.
The Nam Byeong-Cheol crater, with its impressive diameter of 132 kilometers, is the largest lunar crater named since 1980. The naming of such large craters has become infrequent since the Apollo era. Currently, only 1,649 out of 9,137 recognized lunar craters have been officially named by the IAU.
The Kyung Hee University research team, in collaboration with the University of California, Santa Cruz, meticulously studied this particular crater as part of their investigation into magnetic field changes on the Moon’s surface caused by impact energy. Their research utilized data from Danuri, South Korea’s first lunar orbiter, specifically designed for low-orbit observations.
The Kyung Hee University team, having discovered the crater was unnamed during their research, submitted a proposal to the IAU to formally name it. The name ‘Nam Byeong-Cheol’ was selected after careful consultations with the Centre for Historical Astronomy at the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute.
Professor Jin Ho, the leader of the Danuri Magnetometer Payload team, expressed their pride in having a piece of Korean history, embodied in Nam Byeong-Cheol’s name, permanently etched onto the Moon’s surface. According to IAU guidelines, a crater must hold scientific significance to be eligible for naming. Furthermore, evidence must be provided that the name belongs to a scientist.
The Nam Byeong-Cheol crater is particularly intriguing due to its anomalous magnetic field, which exhibits distinct variations between the crater’s interior and exterior. These unique magnetic properties hold significant scientific value, providing valuable insights into the Moon’s formation and evolution.
The research team highlighted Nam Byeong-Cheol’s historical achievements and the crater’s significance in the study of magnetic field changes on the Moon’s surface due to impact energy in the Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences, published by the Korean Astronomical Society.
Professor Jin Ho expressed optimism that further observations of the Nam Byeong-Cheol crater during the Danuri orbiter’s mission will contribute to new research on the Moon’s geological history. This historic achievement marks a new era in Korean astronomy, firmly establishing Korea’s presence in global research endeavors.
