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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231040 Kakaras | 2005 EX282 | Gunaras Kakaras (born 1939) is a Lithuanian astronomer and one of the most skilled Lithuanian popularizers of astronomy. He is an expert on stellar photometry of binary stars and he wrote several popular books and many popular papers. He established the Lithuanian Museum of Ethnocosmology in 1990. | JPL · 231040 |
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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231265 Saulperlmutter | 2006 AS4 | Saul Perlmutter (born 1959), an American physicist and Nobel laureate | JPL · 231265 |
231278 Kárpáti | 2006 BY26 | Rudolf Kárpáti (1920–1999), a Hungarian fencer who won six gold medals in sabre at four Olympic Games between 1948 and 1960 | JPL · 231278 |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
231307 Peterfalk | 2006 BD186 | Peter Falk (1927–2011), an American actor | JPL · 231307 |
231346 Taofanlin | 2006 EL67 | Tao Fan-Lin, director of the Taipei amateur astronomers association | JPL · 231346 |
231368 Hunfalvy | 2006 HF18 | Description available (see ref). Please summarize in your own words. | IAU · 231368 |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
231446 Dayao | 2007 GE75 | Dayao County is located in the north-central Yunnan Province of China. It has a long history, rich mineral resources and good astronomical observing conditions. Dayao was ranked one of the most beautiful counties of China in 2020. | IAU · 231446 |
231470 Bedding | 2007 RH5 | Tim Bedding (born 1966), a full professor at the University of Sydney. | JPL · 231470 |
231486 Capefearrock | 2008 PQ2 | The Cape Fear High School in Fayetteville, North Carolina, United States. Since 1996, dozens of its students have submitted thousands of near-Earth objects observations to the MPC. | JPL · 231486 |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
231555 Christianeurda | 2008 TT2 | Christiane-Urda Süßenberger (born 1967), wife of German discoverer Uwe Süßenberger | JPL · 231555 |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
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231609 Sarcander | 2009 RV | Michael Sarcander (born 1955), German astronomer and long-time technical manager of the planetarium in Mannheim, has produced many educational shows for the general public. He has published several hundred observing tips for asteroids reaching a favorable apparition or closely approaching other celestial objects. | IAU · 231609 |
231649 Korotkiy | 2009 WW | Stanislav Alexandrovich Korotkiy (born 1983), a Russian amateur astronomer and discoverer of minor planets | JPL · 231649 |
231666 Aisymnos | 1960 SX | Aesymnus (Aisymnos), ruler of the Achaeans (Danaans) and Greek warrior from Greek mythology. He was killed by Hektor during the Trojan War. | JPL · 231666 |
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 |
---|---|---|---|
231969 Sebvauclair | 2001 QD94 | Sebastien Vauclair (born 1976) is a French astronomer working on high-energy astronomy. He is also a leader in dark-sky protection, especially for the dark-sky reserve known as the Reserve Internationale de Ciel Etoile du Pic du Midi, located in the Pyrenees. | JPL · 231969 |