In September 2022, the asteroid with the international permanent number 529729 was named "Xida" after Northwest University.

And recently, Northwest University held a naming ceremony for this "gift from the universe".

The naming ceremony was held on the Chang'an campus of Northwest University.

Shu Degan, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and professor of the Department of Geology of Northwest University, read the nomenclature communique for "Xida", issued by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

How was "Xida" discovered?

Xida was discovered by the Xuyi Astronomical Observatory of the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences on March 2, 2008. On the evening of March 2, when the observatory pointed its telescope at Gemini, it discovered a new asteroid 302 million kilometers away from the earth. This discovery was subsequently confirmed by many observations by ground-based telescopes of Mount Lemmon Survey, Panoramic Survey Telescope And Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) and the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), and its precise orbit was further calculated, which met the conditions required for the permanent number of a new asteroid in the world.

The Minor Planet Center issued 529729 as the permanent number for this asteroid in May 2019 and confirmed that the Purple Mountain Observatory has the right to name the object for its discovery. In July 2022, the Purple Mountain Observatory made a motion to apply to the International Astronomical Union to name the asteroid "Xida" after Northwest University, which was officially approved internationally in September.

Asteroids are the only objects of all celestial bodies that can be named after their discoverers, which is internationally recognized and accepted. The International Astronomical Union has strict regulations and approval procedures for asteroid discoverers to obtain naming rights and to name the asteroids. In earlier times, asteroids were generally named after goddesses in ancient mythology. Later, the naming logic gradually switched to the honor or commemoration of specific people, places, landscapes, and events by the asteroid discoverers.

Asteroid naming is a serious and unique event with permanent immutability, and it is a worldwide honor. Naming the asteroid after Northwestern University fully demonstrates the university's outstanding contributions to education, science, culture and social development, reflecting the international academic recognition of Northwestern University.