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 |
---|---|---|---|
114022 Bizyaev | 2002 UZ51 | Dmitry Bizyaev (born 1969), a Russian-American astronomer with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey | JPL · 114022 |
114023 Harvanek | 2002 UL52 | Michael J. Harvanek (born 1963), American astronomer with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey | JPL · 114023 |
114024 Scotkleinman | 2002 UB62 | Scot J. Kleinman (born 1965), American astronomer with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey | JPL · 114024 |
114025 Krzesinski | 2002 UC63 | Jurek Krzesiński (born 1962), American astronomer with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey | JPL · 114025 |
114026 Emalanushenko | 2002 UO64 | Elena Malanushenko (born 1956), Ukrainian-American astronomer with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey | JPL · 114026 |
114027 Malanushenko | 2002 UL69 | Viktor Malanushenko (born 1955), Ukrainian-American astronomer with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey | JPL · 114027 |
114094 Irvpatterson | 2002 VX39 | W. Irwin Patterson (born 1930), American biology professor emeritus at Texas Lutheran University | JPL · 114094 |
114096 Haroldbier | 2002 VA40 | Harold D. Bier (born 1931), chemistry professor emeritus at Texas Lutheran University | JPL · 114096 |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
114156 Eamonlittle | 2002 VH68 | Eamon Little (1966–2006) was an Irish astronomer at Queen's University, Belfast, and a friend and colleague of astronomers Alan Fitzsimmons and Iwan P. Williams who discovered this minor planet | JPL · 114156 |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
114239 Bermarmi | 2002 WN | Bernard Young (1911–1988), Mary Young (1912–1996), and Michael Young (born 1937), parents and brother of American discoverer James Whitney Young | JPL · 114239 |
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 |
---|---|---|---|
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 |
---|---|---|---|
114608 Emanuelepace | 2003 DC7 | Emanuele Pace (born 1964), an Italian professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Florence and the director of its Chianti Observatory. He is also a project manager with ESA's ARIEL space telescope that will study explanetary atmospheres. The asteroid's name was suggested by CINEOS astronomer Mario Di Martino. | IAU · 114608 |
114611 Valeriobocci | 2003 DE9 | Valerio Bocci (born 1966), is an Italian Physicist, senior technologist at INFN Roma. He has been involved in the DELPHI at LEP (CERN), KLOE experiment of DAFNE Frascati National Laboratory, in the ATLAS and LHCb experiments at LHC CERN. He was one of the first in the scientific literature to propose and demonstrate the possibility to use Field Programmable Gate Array in radiation environment. | IAU · 114611 |
114612 Sandrasavaglio | 2003 DV12 | Sandra Savaglio (born 1967) is a physicist and a leading researchers on γ-ray bursts. She has taught at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and at the Max Planck Institute in Germany. Savaglio is currently teaching astronomy at the University of Calabria. | IAU · 114612 |
114613 Antoninobrosio | 2003 DS15 | Antonino Brosio (born 1987) is a structural engineer, and the founder and director of the first public observatory and astronomical park in Calabria. He has carried out several national and international collaborations involving the Calabrian schools, and is the discoverer of some variable stars and extragalactic supernovae. | IAU · 114613 |
114649 Jeanneacker | 2003 EN52 | Jeanne Christophe (née Acker), the mother of French astronomer Bernard Christophe, who discovered this minor planet | JPL · 114649 |
114659 Sajnovics | 2003 FJ7 | János Sajnovics (1733–1785), Hungarian linguist and Jesuit | JPL · 114659 |
114689 Tomstevens | 2003 FJ84 | Tom Stevens (born 1933) and his wife Dixie (born 1938), American benefactors and advisors of the George Observatory in Needville, Texas. | JPL · 114689 |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
114703 North Dakota | 2003 FA120 | North Dakota, the 39th U.S. state | JPL · 114703 |
114705 Tamayo | 2003 FP124 | Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez (born 1942) was the first person of African ancestry and the first Latin American to travel into space as a Cuban cosmonaut on the crew of Soyuz 38 in September 1980. He received the first Hero of the Republic of Cuba medal and many other honors. | JPL · 114705 |
114725 Gordonwalker | 2003 GW36 | Gordon A. H. Walker (born 1936), professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia | JPL · 114725 |
114735 Irenemagni | 2003 HP9 | Irene Magni (born 1976), a business consultant and fiancée of Italian astronomer Fabrizio Bernardi who discovered this minor planet. | IAU · 114735 |
114738 Melissa | 2003 HQ12 | Melissa Palomba (b. 2009), the eldest daughter of Ernesto Palomba, one of the CINEOS observers. | IAU · 114738 |
114739 Tripodi | 2003 HR12 | Antonella Tripodi (b. 1986), an Italian amateur astronomer. | IAU · 114739 |
114740 Luigitatto | 2003 HB14 | Luigi Tatto (1922–2003), an Italian writer. | IAU · 114740 |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
114828 Ricoromita | 2003 OL20 | Enrico Romita (born 1963), Italian software developer on Solar System dynamics, specialized on structural automatic computation | JPL · 114828 |
114829 Chierchia | 2003 OC21 | Luigi Chierchia (born 1957), Italian professor of mathematical analysis, and recipient of the 1995 prize of the Institut Henri Poincaré | JPL · 114829 |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
114987 Tittel | 2003 QW68 | Pál Tittel (1784–1831), Hungarian astronomer and professor | JPL · 114987 |
114990 Szeidl | 2003 QV69 | Béla Szeidl (born 1938), Hungarian astronomer, director of the Konkoly Observatory from 1974 to 1996. and president of IAU Commission 27 (Variable Stars, 1985–1988) | JPL · 114990 |
114991 Balázs | 2003 QY69 | Lajos G. Balázs (born 1941), Hungarian astronomer, director of the Konkoly Observatory since 1996) and co-discoverer of supernova 1969B | JPL · 114991 |