Zhang Weiguo is pictured at the Gemini Astronomical Manor in Lijiang, Yunnan province. [Photo/taizhou.com.cn]

An asteroid has been officially named after Zhang Weiguo, a resident of Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province.

The celestial body, known by the code 514986, was discovered by Cai Yuansheng and officially named "Zhangweiguo Star", according to the latest WGSBN Bulletin recently released by the Working Group on Small Body Nomenclature of the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

Zhang Weiguo is an amateur astronomer, community educator, and owner of the largest private astronomical observatory in Lijiang, Southwest China's Yunnan province.

Zhang, born in June 1979 in Linhai, a county-level city in Taizhou, is the founder of the Taizhou Astronomical Society in Zhejiang province, the Changzhou Astronomical Society in Jiangsu province, and the Lijiang Astronomical Association in Yunnan province.

Zhang's accomplishments in astronomy over the last two decades are noteworthy. For example, his photo of the M42 Orion Nebula won the second-place prize at the 6th National Astronomy Photography Contest. Zhang's astronomical works have been featured in many media outlets, such as Astronomy Enthusiast, a magazine published by the Beijing Planetarium.

Furthermore, the Gemini Astronomical Manor, established by Zhang in Gaomeigu, Lijiang, has become one of the best private astronomical observation bases in China, with over 50 sets of remote automated telescope systems from around the world. Astronomy enthusiasts outside of China can remotely operate the equipment in Gaomeigu to observe celestial bodies and capture images of the stars.