China's astronomical observatory spots new near-Earth asteroid

URUMQI, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The Nanshan One-meter Wide-field Telescope has discovered a new near-Earth asteroid, according to the Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory (XAO) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center confirmed the discovery and designated the near-Earth asteroid with the provisional number 2023 DB2.

Its closest approach to Earth's orbit is more than 30 million km, approximately 80 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon, said Ali Esamdin, a researcher with the XAO.

The discovery was the result of cooperation between the XAO and an amateur astronomy team named Xingming.

Gao Xing, leader of the amateur astronomy team, said that cooperation between professional astronomers and amateur astronomy teams can unravel more secrets about the stars and bring astronomy closer to ordinary people.