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 |
---|---|---|---|
381048 Werber | 2006 WA1 | Bernard Werber (born 1961) is a French science fiction writer. Werber's writing style mixes literary genres, including saga, science fiction and philosophical ideas. His most famous work is the trilogy Les Fourmis (The Ants). | JPL · 381048 |
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 |
---|---|---|---|
381260 Ouellette | 2007 TD166 | John A. Ouellette (born 1968) is currently an operations manager at the National Research Council of Canada and an authority on blue straggler stars. | JPL · 381260 |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
381323 Fanjinshi | 2007 VV252 | Fan Jinshi (born 1938), the honorable dean of Dunhuang Academy, made great contribution to the archaeology survey and conservation of Chinese grottoes. She constructed "Digital Dunhuang" and a comprehensive protection system, which provides a model for the protection of world cultural heritage. | IAU · 381323 |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
381458 Moiseenko | 2008 RG78 | Vladimir Mikhailovich Moiseenko (born 1955), Professor Doctor of medical sciences, is Director of the Oncological center in St. Petersburg. | JPL · 381458 |
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 |
---|---|---|---|
There are no named minor planets in this number range |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
---|---|---|---|
381904 Beatita | 2010 CP12 | Beata Tidmarsh, née Podolská (born 1966) was a longtime colleague of Slovak discoverer Stefan Kürti, who encouraged his devotion to astronomy | JPL · 381904 |