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The following is issued on behalf of the Provisional Urban Council:

A Hong Kong scholar has been added to the Who's Who list of the international astronomical circle following the International Astronomical Union's announcement in April an asteroid to be named in honour of Mr Joseph Liu Hing-chai, who is the founder and the first curator of the Hong Kong Space Museum, a Provisional Urban Council spokesman said today (Friday).

Proposed by two Japanese astronomers, K Endate and K Wantanabe who discovered Asteroid 6743 (1994GS) on April 8, 1994, followed by nomination from two other Japanese astronomers, A Fuji and T Sato, the International Astronomical Union announced in April this year to name the asteroid -- Liu.

Among the countless numbers of celestial bodies in the Universe, only asteroids and comets would be named by their discoverers, the spokesman said. "However, the naming of asteroids has to be judged and approved by the Small Bodies Names Committee of the International Astronomical Union."

"Once approved, such names would be registered in observatories around the world and they will become permanent records internationally recognised."

Mr Joseph Liu, now aged 66, has a keen interest in astronomy since youth. In the early 70', he built a private observatory equipped with a self-designed 32-cm reflecting telescope in the backyard of his house in the New Territories. The stunning and magnificent lunar and planetary photographs taken had earned him reputation in the astronomy circle.

In 1977, Mr Liu won the first and third award in a National Astrophotography Competition organized by the Astronomical League of USA. In 1982, he received the Chiro Astronomical Award from Japanese astronomy authorities, and, in 1984 he was awarded the MBE by Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain for his outstanding service to Hong Kong and his contribution to astronomy.

In 1974, the then Urban Council decided to establish a planetarium and Mr Liu was invited to act as a planetarium advisor with a mission to build a modern space museum which was subsequently completed in 1980 as the first museum/planetarium in the world with a fully automated control system in its Space Theatre.

Mr Liu became the first curator and continued his service at the Space Museum until 1985 when he retired. He is at present in California and is still deeply engaged in astronomical observations and astrophotography.

Asteroid Liu moves in the constellation Aquarius during April and May and will be at its closest approach to Earth on October 2 this year.

Members of the public who wish to learn more about asteroids, and in particular Asteroid Liu, can visit the small exhibition in the lobby of the Hong Kong Space Museum.

Meanwhile, the Museum is also preparing a new Sky Show, "Hunting Asteroids", which is scheduled for screening in the Museum's Space Theatre as from mid-June.

End/Friday, May 15, 1998

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