Minor planet named after renowned Chinese scientist

A minor planet that was discovered by Chinese scientists, has been named after a well-known late Chinese scientist and educator Yan Jici, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) announced Monday.

The minor planet, known as No. 10611 internationally, was discovered by the Beijing Schmidt CCD Asteroid Program under the National Astronomical Observatories with the CAS in 1997, and was bestowed the name in memory of Yan, said the CAS.

Yan, a veteran Chinese scientist, was the honorary chairman of the Central Committee of the Jiu San Society, and vice-chairman of the Sixth and Seventh National People's Congress Standing Committee.

He was also one of the initiators of University of Science and Technology of China, one of China's top universities, cultivating groups of young experts in the field of science and technology.

Yan died of illness in Beijing in 1996, at the age of 96.