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".
The `akialoa are a group of birds that were native to the islands of Hawai`i. They had a long, curved bill that took up one-third of their body length, and had yellow plumage. The `akialoa are now extinct on O`ahu and Maui, and likely on Kaua`i.
Betty Hinsdale Hesser (born 1938), passionately curious about, and gifted in languages, music and science, generously shares in an easily accessible manner her extensive knowledge, particularly about astronomy and reptiles, with people of all ages to address common misunderstandings and stimulate broader comprehension of nature.
Sauron is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. He created the One Ring to rule the rings of power. Due to Sauron's war-like nature, a Mars-crossing minor planet was chosen to receive his name.
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document "SBDB".
