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 |
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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 |
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197189 Raymond | 2003 UL317 | Sean Raymond (born 1977), an American astronomer with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey | JPL · 197189 |
197192 Kazinczy | 2003 VK | Ferenc Kazinczy (1759–1831), a Hungarian author, poet and translator. | IAU · 197192 |
197196 Jamestaylor | 2003 VB8 | James Taylor (born 1965) is in charge of publicity for the Huachuca Astronomy Club in Arizona, United States | JPL · 197196 |
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 |
---|---|---|---|
There are no named minor planets in this number range |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
197525 Versteeg | 2004 DG65 | Maarten H. Versteeg (born 1960), a Staff Engineer at the Southwest Research Institute who worked for the New Horizons mission to Pluto as the lead for the Alice UV Spectrometer Instrument Software | JPL · 197525 |
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 |
---|---|---|---|
197707 Paulnohr | 2004 PN | Paul Nohr (1939–2006), coordinator of the Cincinnati Observatory who restored the observatory's 1845 Merz and Mahler and the 1904 Alvan Clark telescopes | JPL · 197707 |
197708 Kalipona | 2004 PQ1 | Clifford "Kalipona" Livermore (born 1941) has performed astronomy outreach on Mauna Kea for over 40 years. His efforts have helped locals and visitors to appreciate the value of maintaining Mauna Kea as a protected dark-sky site. | JPL · 197708 |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
197845 Michaelvincent | 2004 PU110 | Michael A. Vincent (born 1978), an assistant director for research and development at the Southwest Research Institute, who worked for the New Horizons mission to Pluto as the REX Instrument Project Manager and Deputy Payload Systems Engineer | JPL · 197845 |
197856 Tafelmusik | 2004 QH16 | Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, a Canadian Baroque orchestra based in Toronto | JPL · 197856 |
197864 Florentpagny | 2004 RQ1 | Florent Pagny (born 1961), a French musician | JPL · 197864 |
197870 Erkman | 2004 RC8 | Suren Erkman (born 1955), a professor of the University of Lausanne and an industrial ecology specialist. He is a friend of Swiss amateur astronomer Michel Ory who discovered this minor planet. | JPL · 197870 |
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 |