The No 31230 asteroid is now named after Nobel Prize winner Tu Youyou. The naming ceremony was held at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse yesterday in Beijing.

Tu is one of the five scientists who received the honor at the ceremony but Tu didn’t attend due to health reasons. The asteroid was discovered by Beijing Schmidt CCD Asteroid Program in 1998. The other four scientists are Xie Jialin, Wu Liangyong, Zheng Zhemin and Zhang Cunhao,

At the moment, asteroids are the only kind of planets that can be named according to the discoverer's will, which is also regarded as a worldwide honor. The discoverer can propose to the International Astronomical Union to give the asteroid a formal name. The union has set up strict rules to guide the selection of names for objects in different parts of the solar system. Once approved and issued, the name can no longer be changed.