On the morning of September 13, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) announced that the asteroid with the international permanent number 529729 was named "Xida" after Northwest University, as approved by the Working Group on the Naming of Small Bodies.
Xida was discovered by the Xuyi Astronomical Observatory of the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences on March 2, 2008, according to an official announcement. "Xida" is a main belt asteroid, located in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter in the solar system, with the number of 529729, the orbital root number (2000.0 ecliptic and vernal equinox), the time of the lunar calendar, January 21, 2022, zero (almanac time), the orbital half-length diameter of 3.0444478 astronomical units, The orbital eccentricity is 0.0490849, the orbital inclination is 6.59458 degrees, the ascending longitude is 295.32514 degrees, the perihelion angular distance is 258.90803 degrees, the horizontal perihelion Angle is 196.03646 degrees, and the orbit period around the sun is 5.3120579 years.
In May 2022, Northwest University made a motion to apply to the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to name the asteroid after "Northwest University". In July, Chang Jiang, Vice President of the University, and general director of the NWU 120th anniversary, leading staff of the anniversary Office and the Science and Technology Department went to the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to promote this work.
