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".
Neil Norman (born 1972) is a British astronomer, writer, broadcaster, humorist and creator of the Comet Watch internet resource. He is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and creator of the Solar System Bodies and Minor Solar System Bodies internet resources.
Sarah Ireland (born 1996), interested in the pursuit of astronomical knowledge, following in the Canadian tradition of astronomical excellence and embodying the spirit of Beyond the International Year of Astronomy.
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document "SBDB".
