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 city of Castiglione dei Pepoli (also known as "Castión") is a medieval fiefdom of the Pepoli noble family, in the Bolognese Apennines, Italy. The second discoverer has lived there for many years.
Viktoriya (Vita) Polunina (born 1967), Professor Doctor of medical sciences, is a specialist in reflex therapy in children, reconstructive and sports medicine, therapeuticphysical training, and the author of more than 70 scientific papers.
Frederick Douglass (c. 1818–1895) was an American born into slavery who became a leading abolitionist and supporter of women's rights. Through his writings and speeches, he tirelessly fought slavery. He advised presidents, served in government, and pushed for equal protection of all under the law.
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document "SBDB".
