Five minor planets have been named after top Chinese scientists, including the country's first Nobel laureate scientist Tu Youyou, at a ceremony held on January 4.

Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong (C) poses for a photo with scientists Xie Jialin (2nd R), Wu Liangyong (2nd L), Zheng Zhemin (1st R) and Zhang Cunhao (1st L) during the naming ceremony for five minor planets in Beijing on January 4, 2016. Five minor planets were named after top Chinese scientists, with approval of the International Astronomical Union Minor Planet Center. (Photo by Pang Xinglei)

The naming was suggested by the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) Minor Planet Center (MPC). Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong awarded the certificates at the ceremony.

Minor Planet No. 31230 was named after Tu, who won the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering artemisinin, a treatment for malaria with potential to save millions of lives.

Minor Planet No. 12935 was named after Zheng Zhemin, a prominent dynamicist and a founder of the field of explosion mechanics.

Minor Planet No. 19282 was named after Zhang Cunhao, a founder of the field of high-energy chemical lasers in China and one of the pioneers of molecular reaction dynamics.

Minor Planet No. 32928 was named after Xie Jialin, a renowned physicist and the founder of particle accelerators in China.

Minor Planet No. 9221 was named after Wu Liangyong, an architect, city planner and educator.

The four scientists, except Tu, previously won the State Top Scientific and Technological Award, the country's top science prize, for their outstanding contributions to scientific and technological innovation.

The five minor planets were discovered between 1995 and 1999 by the Beijing Schmidt CCD Asteroid Program at the Xinglong observation station in North China.

According to international conventions, discoverers of minor planets who receive confirmation from the MPC have the right to name them.

Source: Xinhua