In a quiet corner of Rajasthan’s Jhalawar district, a group of school students who once scanned the night sky have found a way to turn astronomy into remembrance.

Students of Government Senior Secondary School, Unhel, who discovered four asteroids during 2020–2021, have decided to name one of them after seven children who died when a government school building collapsed in Piplodi village in July 2025.

Twenty-seven other students were seriously injured in the incident.

The asteroids, discovered as part of an international student programme, have now completed a full orbit around the Sun and have been assigned permanent numbers by Pan-STARRS at the international level.

This confirms that their orbits are fully established and scientifically verified. The four asteroids were discovered by Sugandha Kumari, Komal Kunwar, Harshita Dangi and Sanjay Kumar, who are now pursuing higher education in different colleges.

They participated in the IASC-NASA Asteroid Search Campaign under the guidance of Google-certified educator Dr Divyendu Sen, currently posted at Mahatma Gandhi Government School, Pachpahar in Jhalawar.

More than 100 students from the district have taken part in the programme so far and have collectively discovered 12 main-belt asteroids.

Speaking about the allotment of permanent numbers, Dr Sen said they received an email from the International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC) last month.

According to the communication, one of the four numbered asteroids has been reserved for the survey organisation, while the remaining three are open for name proposals by the student discoverers.

The naming process, he said, must follow international guidelines. Dr Sen told PTI that the students have formally expressed their wish to name one asteroid in memory of the children who died in the Piplodi collapse.

The proposed name is PRAMISHKA, formed by combining the initials of the seven deceased children — Payal (13), Priyanka (12), Meena (12), Harish (11), Kundan (10), Kanha (7), and Satish (8).

He added that other acronyms are also being considered before a final proposal is submitted.

"We did not want the naming to be just a symbolic act. The students told me that science becomes meaningful only when it touches lives. The name PRAMISHKA is formed from the combined initials of the Piplodi children. By sending this name to space, we want their memory to orbit the Sun forever. For us, this is not only astronomy; this is remembrance with love and dignity," Dr Sen said.

He noted that asteroids remain in the solar system for millions of years and that once a name is approved by the International Astronomical Union, it becomes a permanent part of scientific literature.

"Our humble wish is that PRAMISHKA becomes that eternal identity for them," he said.

Dr Sen said the final approval lies with the International Astronomical Union. "We are in touch with coordinators and authorities, and will submit the full supporting details when invited to do so," he said.

Jhalawar Chief District Education Officer Ram Singh Meena also supported the move, telling PTI that naming an asteroid after the deceased children would be a true act of remembrance.

He said the education department has agreed to follow up on the request.