As minor planet discoveries are confirmed, they are given a permanent number by the IAU's Minor Planet Center (MPC), and the discoverers can then submit names for them, following the IAU's naming conventions. The list below concerns those minor planets in the specified number-range that have received names, and explains the meanings of those names.
Official naming citations of newly named small Solar System bodies are approved and published in a bulletin by IAU's Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature (WGSBN). [1] Before May 2021, citations were published in MPC's Minor Planet Circulars for many decades. [2] Recent citations can also be found on the JPL Small-Body Database (SBDB). [3] Until his death in 2016, German astronomer Lutz D. Schmadel compiled these citations into the Dictionary of Minor Planet Names (DMP) and regularly updated the collection. [4] [5]
Based on Paul Herget's The Names of the Minor Planets , [6] Schmadel also researched the unclear origin of numerous asteroids, most of which had been named prior to World War II. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain : SBDB New namings may only be added to this list below after official publication as the preannouncement of names is condemned. [7] The WGSBN publishes a comprehensive guideline for the naming rules of non-cometary small Solar System bodies. [8]
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
127005 Pratchett | 2002 GY1 | Terry Pratchett (1948–2015), English author known for his comic fantasy book series, Discworld | JPL · 127005 |
127030 Herrington | 2002 GZ28 | John Herrington (born 1958) is a former NASA astronaut and a member of the Chickasaw Nation. Herrington was a mission specialist for the 16th space shuttle flight to the International Space Station and he performed three space walks during the mission. | JPL · 127030 |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
127196 Hanaceplechová | 2002 HH | Hana Ceplechová (born 1945), long-time secretary in the Interplanetary Matter Department of the Ondrejov Observatory in the Czech Republic | JPL · 127196 |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
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There are no named minor planets in this number range |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
There are no named minor planets in this number range |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
127477 Fredalee | 2002 RS211 | Freda Denham Lee (1914–1991) was a highly regarded teacher; her career spanned the dawn of the Space Age. Though not trained in science, her science-minded students found a tireless mentor who effectively guided independent explorations. She gifted such students fulfilling science and engineering careers. | IAU · 127477 |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
127515 Nitta | 2002 TY306 | Atsuko Nitta (born 1966), Japanese-American astronomer with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey | JPL · 127515 |
127516 Oravetz | 2002 TT307 | Daniel Oravetz (born 1984), American astronomer with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey | JPL · 127516 |
127517 Kaikepan | 2002 TJ371 | Kaike Pan (born 1965), Chinese-American astronomer with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey | JPL · 127517 |
127545 Crisman | 2002 XZ91 | James R. Crisman (born 1937), president of the Astronomy Club of Sun City West in Arizona and supporter of the Lowell Observatory | JPL · 127545 |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
127689 Doncapone | 2003 EE17 | Don Giuseppe Capone (1922–2009), Italian cleric, archeoastronomer, and scholar of the origins of the city of Alatri (Aletrium) and rector of the diocesan Seminar | JPL · 127689 |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
There are no named minor planets in this number range |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
127803 Johnvaneepoel | 2003 FP77 | John M. Van Eepoel (born 1977), contributor to the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample-return mission and to its navigation and flight dynamics team | JPL · 127803 |
127810 Michaelwright | 2003 FK85 | Michael Wright (born 1960) is the project lead for assembly, test, and launch operations for the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample-return mission. He is also an exploration systems engineer, developing concepts for human exploration of Mars. He served as an integration and test manager for over a dozen missions including FREESTAR on the final flight of space shuttle Columbia | JPL · 127810 |
127870 Vigo | 2003 FE123 | Vigo, Galicia, Spain, the first discoverer's birthplace | JPL · 127870 |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
127933 Shaunoborn | 2003 HF1 | Shaun Oborn (born 1964), member of the "Solo Effects LLC" team and contributor to the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample-return mission working and its navigation and flight dynamics team | JPL · 127933 |
127935 Reedmckenna | 2003 HM1 | Reed McKenna (born 1959), member of the "Solo Effects LLC" team and contributor to the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample-return mission working and its navigation and flight dynamics team | JPL · 127935 |
127936 Maia | 2003 HU1 | Description available (see ref). Please summarize in your own words. | IAU · 127936 |