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 |
---|---|---|---|
200002 Hehe | 2007 JZ43 | "Hehe" ("harmony") is the name of Suzhou Hehe Culture Foundation. "Hehe" is a traditional Chinese symbol representing good marriage and loving family. | JPL · 200002 |
200003 Aokeda | 2007 KP4 | Aokeda, the Chinese abbreviation for the Macau University of Science and Technology (Ao Men Ke Ji Da Xue) is the largest institution of higher education in Macau, China | JPL · 200003 |
200020 Cadi Ayyad | 2007 NQ3 | The Cadi Ayyad University (UCA), one of the most important university in Morocco | JPL · 200020 |
200025 Cloud Gate | 2007 OK10 | Cloud Gate Dance Theater of Taiwan, founded by choreographer Lin Hwai-min, is acclaimed as one of the finest contemporary dance companies in the world for its innovative works inspired by Asian cultures | JPL · 200025 |
200031 Romainmontaigut | 2007 PQ43 | Romain Montaigut (born 1989) is a French amateur astronomer and active member of the CALA astronomy club. He is a leader in high-precision photometry, mainly for asteroids studies, and has discovered the binary nature of many asteroids. | JPL · 200031 |
200033 Newtaipei | 2007 PX46 | New Taipei City is located in northern Taiwan and the most populous city of Taiwan. It surrounds the Taipei Basin and includes a substantial stretch of the island's northern coastline. | JPL · 200033 |
200052 Sinigaglia | 2008 OO13 | Gianfranco Sinigaglia (1929–1990), Italian teacher of radioastronomy and applied electronics at the Physics Institute of Bologna University | JPL · 200052 |
200069 Alastor | 4322 P-L | Alastor, a Greek hero, was leader of the Pylian contingent before Troy | JPL · 200069 |
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 |
---|---|---|---|
200234 Kumashiro | 1999 VN8 | Masato Kumashiro (born 1989), a Japanese baseball player for the Saitama Seibu Lions. | JPL · 200234 |
200255 Weigle | 1999 VT204 | Gerald Edwin Weigle II (born 1970) served as the Ralph Instrument Lead Engineer for the New Horizons Mission to Pluto. | JPL · 200255 |
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 |
---|---|---|---|
200578 Yungchuen | 2001 QW94 | Chuen Yung (1936–2014), a medical doctor in Hong Kong. | JPL · 200578 |
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 |
---|---|---|---|
200750 Rix | 2001 VB128 | Hans-Walter Rix (born 1964), a German astrophysicist and director of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy at Heidelberg who contributed to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey | JPL · 200750 |
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 |