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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305181 Donelaitis | 2007 VR302 | Kristijonas Donelaitis (1714–1780), a Lutheran pastor who is considered one of the greatest Lithuanian poets. | JPL · 305181 |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
305238 Maxuehui | 2007 XZ25 | Xue-Hui Ma (born 1971) is the Director of Ken-Ting Observatory (KTO) in Taiwan. Ma has provided training courses in astronomical observation to more than 2 000 students since the establishment of KTO in the year of 2000. Under his supervision, KTO has become the best educational base in Taiwan for advanced observing technique in astronomy. | IAU · 305238 |
305254 Moron | 2007 YN3 | Moron, a mountain of the Jura, located north of Malleray in the canton of Bern, Switzerland. | JPL · 305254 |
305287 Olegyankov | 2008 AF2 | Oleg Yankov (born 1968), a Russian philanthropist. | JPL · 305287 |
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 |
---|---|---|---|
There are no named minor planets in this number range |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
305660 Romyhaag | 2009 BJ73 | Romy Haag (born 1951), a singer, actress and show star who started her career at the famous "Alcazar" in Paris. | JPL · 305660 |
305661 Joejackson | 2009 BN73 | Joe Jackson (born 1954, David Ian Jackson), a British musician, singer and songwriter | JPL · 305661 |
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 |
---|---|---|---|
305953 Josiedubey | 2009 HV36 | Josie Elizabeth Chloe Jayne Dubey (born 1994), granddaughter of British discoverer Norman Falla | JPL · 305953 |