Xiong Jiarui, a student at a middle school in Wuhan, Hubei province, and his team discovered an asteroid. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A main-belt asteroid discovered by Grade 3 students at No 1 Middle School Affiliated with Central China Normal University in Wuhan, Hubei province, was confirmed recently and designated "2021 gb68" by the International Astronomical Union, sources at the school said.

Under the rules of the IAU, Xiong Jiarui and his fellow students who discovered the asteroid have the right to name it in the future, the school said.

Xiong, who has loved astronomy since he was a young child, often squeezes out time to observe the sky and stars. The discovery of the main-belt asteroid is the result of his long-term observations, the school said.

Main-belt asteroids are those between Mars and Jupiter and are the most common type.

"The vast majority of asteroids are discovered through searching the observatory's data, including taking photos of specific sky areas," Xiong said.

The students spent a month after school searching as part of an international asteroid campaign, he said. The IASC is held several times a year, each interval lasting four weeks. Schools from more than 20 countries, including China, the United States and Germany have participated in IASC.

Xiong's tutor, Liu Bin, said Xiong had participated in the national finals of astronomy four times between 2017 and 2021 and he was picked as the national training team player twice.

He has won two silver medals and one bronze in international competitions, Liu said. The student represented China in the 14th Asia Pacific Astronomy Olympics in 2018 and won a silver medal. Last year, he was named to the national team to represent China in the 14th International Astronomical and Astrophysical Olympiad.

Xiong said he plans to study astronomy or theoretical physics in the future.

Xiong Jiarui, a student at a middle school in Wuhan, Hubei province, and his team discovered an asteroid. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Xiong Jiarui, a student at a middle school in Wuhan, Hubei province, and his team discovered an asteroid. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Xiong Jiarui, a student at a middle school in Wuhan, Hubei province, and his team discovered an asteroid. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Xiong Jiarui, a student at a middle school in Wuhan, Hubei province, and his team discovered an asteroid. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

链接：https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202204/26/WS6267a301a310fd2b29e596c0_5.html