Malala Yousafzai, the Nobel Prize-winning teenage activist, now has an asteroid named in her honor.
The more-than-2-mile-wide asteroid—officially now known as “316201 Malala”—orbits the sun every five-and-a-half years in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Amy Mainzer, the NASA astronomer who discovered the rock, was the one who named it after Yousafzai.
“If anyone deserves to have an asteroid named after them, she does!” Mainzer wrote on Malala Fund Blog.
“My postdoctoral fellow Dr. Carrie Nugent brought to my attention the fact that although many asteroids have been named, very few have been named to honor the contributions of women (and particularly women of color),” Mainzer added.
In October 2012, after Yousafzai blogged about her determination to become a doctor, a Taliban gunman shot her as she boarded a school bus in Pakistan’s Swat Valley. Yousafzai, 17, now works with her foundation to empower girls through education.
More Must-Reads From TIME
- Jane Fonda Champions Climate Action for Every Generation
- Biden’s Campaign Is In Trouble. Will the Turnaround Plan Work?
- Why We're Spending So Much Money Now
- The Financial Influencers Women Actually Want to Listen To
- Breaker Sunny Choi Is Heading to Paris
- Why TV Can’t Stop Making Silly Shows About Lady Journalists
- The Case for Wearing Shoes in the House
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Contact us at letters@time.com