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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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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469219 Kamoʻoalewa | 2016 HO3 | Kamoʻoalewa alludes to a celestial object that is oscillating, like its path in the sky as viewed from the Earth. He ʻāpana hōkūnaʻi i lele mai kona kino nui, he holo pū me ka honua a puni ka lā. Name conceived by A Hua He Inoa, ʻImiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaiʻi. | JPL · 469219 |
Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
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469366 Watkins | 2001 PH13 | Michael Watkins (born 1963) was Manager of JPL's Science Division from 2013 to 2015. He personally created a new vision for the Division, set the standard for scientific and strategic leadership and guided the Science Division in providing that leadership to JPL. In 2016, he became the ninth director of JPL. | JPL · 469366 |
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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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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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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469705 ǂKá̦gára | 2005 EF298 | In the mythology of the ǀXam people of the Karoo region of southern Africa, ǂKá̦gára and ǃHãunu fought an epic battle in the east using thunder and lightning, producing mountainous clouds and rain. The conflict was over ǂKá̦gára returning his younger sister, ǃHãunu's wife, to their parents.[The primary is being named ǂKá̦gára and the satellite is being named ǃHãunu.] | IAU · 469705 |
469748 Volnay | 2005 PO5 | The French village of Volnay is situated directly south of Beaune, in the famous Burgundy vineyard region. The discoverer appreciates greatly the Volnay red wine. | JPL · 469748 |
469773 Kitaibel | 2005 QB76 | Pál Kitaibel (1757–1817) was a Hungarian botanist and chemist. He spent several years investigating flora and fauna in the Carpathian Basin and surrounding mountains. In 1789 he independently discovered the element tellurium. The genus Kitaibelia of mallows was named after him. | IAU · 469773 |
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 |