An asteroid has been named after the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) with the approval of the International Minor Planet Nomenclature Committee.
The unveiling ceremony for a monument to mark the main-belt asteroid was held at the USTC campus on 20 September during the 50th anniversary celebration of the university.
Twelve years ago, on 20 September 1996, the Asteroid No.19298 was discovered by the Beijing Schmidt CCD Asteroid Program at the Xinglong Station of the National Astronomical Observatories at CAS, and was later named as
Zhongkeda, meaning USTC.
