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".
Kamo`oalewa alludes to a celestial object that is oscillating, like its path in the sky as viewed from the Earth. It is a name found in the Hawaiian chant Kumulipo. He `\=apana h\={o}k\={u}na`i i lele mai kona kino nui, he holo p\={u} me ka honua a puni ka l\=a. Name conceived by A Hua He Inoa, `Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawai`i.
Michael Watkins (born 1963) was Manager of JPL's Science Division from 2013–2015. 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.
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document "SBDB".
