(18529) Liangdongcai Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 28 November 1996 by Beijing Schmidt CCD Asteroid Program at Xinglong.
Liang Dongcai (1932–2026) was a renowned biophysicist and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He was the founder of the X-ray protein crystallography and structural biology fields in China, and made outstanding contributions to the establishment and development of structural biology in China.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 6, #6, 7), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Liangdongcai is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Liangdongcai is 2.16 au from the Sun and 3.15 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 18529 |
| Provisional designation | 1996 WK3 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Rotation period | 17.4 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.95 |
| Orbital period | 3.60 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.35 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.98 – 2.71 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.155 |
| Inclination | 4.07° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.00 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.