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 published in MPC's Minor Planet Circulars several times a year.[1] Recent citations can also be found on the JPL Small-Body Database (SBDB).[2] 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.[3][4] Based on Paul Herget's The Names of the Minor Planets,[5] Schmadel also researched the unclear origin of numerous asteroids, most of which had been named prior to World War II. Meanings marked with * are from legacy sources may not be accurate. This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document "SBDB".
David Bruce Valentine Tyler (born 1941) is a British amateur astronomer, solar observer, and imager. He is an accomplished telescope maker who has assisted others through advice and creating accessories in his workshop. In 2012, the British Astronomical Association awarded him its Merlin medal for his contributions.
David Martinez Delgado (born 1970) has searched and characterized the Sagittarius tidal stream and studied this satellite's interaction with our galaxy using theoretical simulations. He also discovered a tidal tail in the Ursa Minor satellite galaxy.
Curt Niebur (born 1972) has served as the NASA program scientist responsible for the New Frontiers program for over a decade. His responsibilities have included management of New Horizons as the first mission in New Frontiers and the first to explore Pluto and the Kuiper Belt.
Rauracia, a group of Celts who settled in the Jura area of Switzerland around 400 B.C. and the name of the official anthem of the Swiss canton of Jura. This Hilda asteroid was the first unusual object discovered at the Jurassien-Vicques Observatory.
Winsor McCay (1869–1934) was an American illustrator and one of the first creators of animated films. His best-known works are the cartoon strips Dream of the Rarebit Fiend and Little Nemo in Slumberland, and the animated film Gertie the Dinosaur. In 1996, he was inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame.
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document "SBDB".
