Yunnan University boasts own celestial body in space

Yunnan University receives the certificate for "Yunda". [Photo/ynu.edu.cn]

At a seminar on frontiers in astronomy held at Yunnan University on Dec 27, the "Yunda" award ceremony was held.

The National Astronomical Observatory of China officially named the asteroid with the international permanent designation number 192391 as "Yunda" to congratulate Yunnan University, founded in 1923, on its centennial anniversary this year.

During the ceremony, Liu Jifeng, director of the National Astronomical Observatory of China, read the international naming certificate for "Yunda", explaining the significance of the designation.

Zhao Gang, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a researcher at the National Astronomical Observatory of China, made the announcement as well as presented the international naming certificate and star orbital diagram to the university.

Xue Suijian, chief researcher of the Sky Survey Observation Team at the National Astronomical Observatory of China, introduced that the "Yunda" was discovered by the National Astronomical Observatory of China on Oct 3, 1996.

The orbital path of "Yunda" is located between Jupiter and Mars, with an orbital period of 5.81 years. Currently, it has been observed 535 times.