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 |
---|---|---|---|
188061 Loomis | 2001 VJ131 | Craig P. Loomis (born 1961), an American computing engineer with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey | JPL · 188061 |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
188139 Stanbridge | 2002 CN315 | Dale R. Stanbridge (born 1962), a senior engineer at KinetX who worked as a Navigation Team Member for the New Horizons mission to Pluto | JPL · 188139 |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
188256 Stothoff | 2002 XT93 | Maria M. Stothoff (born 1966), a Public Affairs Deputy Chief at the Southwest Research Institute who worked for the New Horizons mission to Pluto | JPL · 188256 |
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 |
---|---|---|---|
188446 Louischevrolet | 2004 HY5 | Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941), a Swiss race car driver and co-founder of the Chevrolet Motor Car Company in 1911 | JPL · 188446 |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
188502 Darrellstrobel | 2004 PM115 | Darrell F. Strobel (born 1942), a research scientist at Johns Hopkins University who worked as a Co-Investigator for atmospheric science for the New Horizons mission to Pluto | JPL · 188502 |
188506 Roulet | 2004 RR1 | Didier Roulet (b. 1948), a retired physics professor in the Collège de Candolle in Geneva (Switzerland). | IAU 188506 |
188534 Mauna Kea | 2004 RA252 | Mauna Kea (4,207 m; meaning "White Mountain"), a dormant volcano on the island of Hawaii | JPL · 188534 |
188576 Kosenda | 2005 EL30 | Setsuo Kosenda (born 1955) established the Mikawa Astronomical Observatory, located in the Niigata region of Japan | JPL · 188576 |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
188693 Roosevelt | 2005 TO14 | Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) was the 26th President of the United States and is one of the most admired leaders in American history. Among his many accomplishments he is well known for his conservationism, having established the US Forest Service, five National Parks, 18 National Monuments, and 150 National Forests. | JPL · 188693 |
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 |
---|---|---|---|
188847 Rhipeus | 2006 FT9 | Rhipeus (Ripheus), from Classical mythology. The Trojan warrior died fighting alongside his comrade Aeneas during the Trojan War. Rhipeus, the most just of the Trojans was not rewarded by the gods (Virgil). | JPL · 188847 |
188867 Tin Ho | 2006 US174 | Tin Ho, or Tianhe District, is one of the fastest developing areas in Guangzhou, China. Many of Guangzhou's most iconic buildings are found in this district. Tin Ho is the Chinese name for the Milky Way. | JPL · 188867 |
188894 Gerberlouis | 2006 XS56 | Louis Gerber (1928–2021), a Swiss banker and amateur astronomer from Fribourg, who was the first treasurer of the Robert A. Naef Foundation, which operates the Observatory Naef Épendes, where this minor planet was discovered. | IAU · 188894 |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
188973 Siufaiwing | 2008 EX36 | Siu Fai Wing (born 1946), a Chinese painter and sculptor | JPL · 188973 |
189000 Alfredkubin | 2008 JZ20 | Alfred Kubin (1877–1959) is considered an important representative of expressionism | JPL · 189000 |