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 |
---|---|---|---|
246132 Lugyny | 2007 NM1 | Lugyny, a district in northern Ukraine, 110 km from Chernobyl and location of the Lugyny Youth Centre | JPL · 246132 |
246153 Waltermaria | 2007 PW30 | Walter E. B. Mazzucato (1921–2003) and Maria L. Pozzi (1927–2003), parents of Italian co-discoverer Michele Mazzucato | JPL · 246153 |
246164 Zdvyzhensk | 2007 QH3 | Brusyliv (Zdvyzhensk), the ancient town in Ukraine and birthplace of Ilarion Ohienko | JPL · 246164 |
246167 Joskohn | 2007 RF8 | Jos Kohn (born 1988) studied physics at the university of Fribourg, Switzerland. He promotes astronomy to more than 600 adults and children throughout the country per year and is also a member of the observatory of Ependes, where he performs astronomy experiments with students. | JPL · 246167 |
246171 Konrad | 2007 RU15 | Konrad König (born 2005), the first-born son of Agathe Schmid-König and astronomer Michael König, who discovered this minor planet | JPL · 246171 |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
246238 Crampton | 2007 RL274 | David Crampton (born 1942) has overseen the development of exceptionally efficient, multiplexed spectrographs for CFHT and Gemini. Using them he helped establish Canadian excellence in observational cosmology. He has also excelled in research on Galactic structure and multiple stars, including X-ray binaries. | JPL · 246238 |
246247 Sheldoncooper | 2007 SP14 | Sheldon Cooper, a fictional character in the television series The Big Bang Theory , portrayed by actor Jim Parsons (born 1973) | JPL · 246247 |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
246345 Carolharris | 2007 TH298 | Carol E. Harris (born 1940), Professor Emeritus at the University of Victoria. | JPL · 246345 |
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 |
---|---|---|---|
246504 Hualien | 2008 BG16 | Hualien County is the largest county in Taiwan in terms of area, and is located on the mountainous eastern coast of Taiwan. | JPL · 246504 |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
246643 Miaoli | 2008 YU9 | Miaoli, a city located in the mountainous terrain on the western coastline of Taiwan. | JPL · 246643 |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
246759 Elviracheca | 2009 CL4 | Elvira Checa Peña (born 1958), a chef at the Spanish Calar Alto Observatory during 2008–2014 | JPL · 246759 |
246789 Pattinson | 2009 DM89 | Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson (born 1986), an English actor and musician. | JPL · 246789 |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
246803 Martinezpatrick | 2009 FB1 | Description available (see ref). Please summarize in your own words. | IAU · 246803 |
246821 Satyarthi | 2009 QW33 | Kailash Satyarthi (born 1954), an Indian electrical engineer who received the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize for his advocacy of children's rights and education and for his fight against child labor. | JPL · 246821 |
246837 Bethfabinsky | 2010 CR51 | Beth Fabinsky (born 1971), an American engineer who specializes in mission operations for NASA spacecraft. | JPL · 246837 |
246841 Williamirace | 2010 DR58 | William Irace (born 1941) is an engineer who worked on the Viking Mars orbiters, the InfraRed Astronomical Satellite, the W. M. Keck Ten MeterTelescopes and the Spitzer Space Telescope. | JPL · 246841 |
246842 Dutchstapelbroek | 2010 EZ5 | Maryn "Dutch" Stapelbroek (born 1947), a physicist specializing in infrared and visible light-detector design and construction. | JPL · 246842 |
246861 Johnelwell | 2010 KC18 | John Elwell (born 1958), an expert in the design, construction and calibration of infrared instrumentation for space-based missions to study astrophysics and the Earth's atmosphere. | JPL · 246861 |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
246913 Slocum | 1998 SU63 | Joshua Slocum (1844 – c. 1909) was the first person to circumnavigate the world alone. | JPL · 246913 |