Prof. Xi Zezong.
An asteroid has been named after Prof. XI Zezong, a CAS historian of astronomy, with the approval of the International Minor Planet Nomenclature Committee (IMPNC), The National Astronomical Observatories at CAS (NAOC) announced on 17 August.
Asteroid No. 85472 was discovered on 9 June, 1997, by the Beijing Schmidt CCD Asteroid Program, according to a gazette of the Minor Planet Center of IMPNC.
Prof. Xi, a researcher from the CAS Institute for History of Natural Science and CAS Member, has made many contributions to the history of science, especially to the history of astronomy. His New catalogue of Ancient Novae (1995) was well received in the contemporary astrophysical community, says the gazette.
Xi was born on June 9, 1927. The day the asteroid was discovered was Xi's 70th birthday. According to an international convention, those who discover minor planets and have them confirmed by the Minor Planet Center have the rights to name them.
So far, more than 30 minor planets have been named after ancient and contemporary Chinese scientists by Chinese or overseas astronomical observatories.
