On Tuesday, the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IBCAS) announced that an asteroid has been named after Kuang Tingyun, a distinguished Chinese botanist renowned for her long-standing research on photosynthesis.

A naming ceremony was held on Monday to officially bestow the honor, following approval by the International Astronomical Union.

The asteroid, designated 29509, was discovered in 1997 by the Schmidt CCD Asteroid Program of the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Speaking at the ceremony, IBCAS Director Wang Xiaoquan said that naming the asteroid is a lasting tribute to Kuang's outstanding scientific accomplishments and a high level of recognition of IBCAS's contributions to science and technology.

Kuang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has made systematic and pioneering contributions to the study of the structure and function of photosynthetic membrane proteins.

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