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 approved and published in a bulletin by IAU's Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature (WGSBN).[1] Before May 2021, citations were published in MPC's Minor Planet Circulars for many decades.[2] Recent citations can also be found on the JPL Small-Body Database (SBDB).[3] 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.[4][5]
Based on Paul Herget's The Names of the Minor Planets,[6] Schmadel also researched the unclear origin of numerous asteroids, most of which had been named prior to World War II. 
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: SBDB New namings may only be added to this list below after official publication as the preannouncement of names is condemned.[7] The WGSBN publishes a comprehensive guideline for the naming rules of non-cometary small Solar System bodies.[8]
159001–159100
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 159011 Radomyshl | 2004 TX13 | Radomyshl, Ukraine | JPL · 159011 |
| 159013 Kyleturner | 2004 TC21 | In memory of Kyle Walter Turner, of Missouri City, TX | JPL · 159013 |
159101–159200
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 159102 Sarahflanigan | 2004 TU354 | Sarah H. Flanigan (born 1985) is a supervising engineer at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, who served as the Deputy Guidance and Control Lead for the New Horizons Mission to Pluto. | JPL · 159102 |
| 159164 La Cañada | 2005 JC22 | Observatorio de La Cañada (La Cañada Observatory), Ávila, Spain, the discovery site | JPL · 159164 |
| 159181 Berdychiv | 2005 US12 | Berdychiv, second most populous city in the Zhytomyr region in the northwest of Ukraine. | JPL · 159181 |
159201–159300
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 159215 Apan | 2005 WS59 | APAN, an amateur astronomical association from Novara, Italy (Italian: Associazione Provinciale Astrofili Novaresi), that oversees the Suno Observatory, where this minor planet was discovered | JPL · 159215 |
159301–159400
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 159351 Leonpascal | 2007 EB10 | Leon Pascal Kocher, grandchild of the discoverer | JPL · 159351 |
159401–159500
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 159409 Ratte | 1999 OJ | Étienne-Hyacinthe de Ratte (1722–1805), French astronomer and mathematician from Montpellier | JPL · 159409 |
159501–159600
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| There are no named minor planets in this number range | |||
159601–159700
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 159629 Brunszvik | 2002 BT31 | Countess Teréz Brunszvik, the founder of the first nursery school in Hungary | JPL · 159629 |
159701–159800
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 159743 Kluk | 2003 FW1 | Kluk, a Czech hill near the Kleť mountain, location of the Kleť Observatory where this minor planet was discovered | JPL · 159743 |
| 159776 Eduardoröhl | 2003 JR17 | Eduardo Röhl (1891–1959), Venezuelan scientist, humanist and entrepreneur who initiated the creation of the Llano del Hato National Astronomical Observatory in 1952. | JPL · 159776 |
| 159778 Bobshelton | 2003 MZ1 | Robert Shelton (born 1948), nineteenth president of the University of Arizona, chaired the Keck Telescope Board from 1997 to 2000, important contributor to the success of the SOAR Telescope in Chile and the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) facility in South Africa | JPL · 159778 |
| 159799 Kralice | 2003 RF14 | The Czech village of Kralice nad Oslavou. It is known for the printing house of the Unity of the Brethren (1578–1620). | JPL · 159799 |
159801–159900
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 159814 Saguaro | 2003 SS217 | The Saguaro National Park located in a desert landscape to the east and west of Tucson protects the majestic giant saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) as well as other cacti. The giant saguaro is the supreme symbol of the American Southwest. | JPL · 159814 |
| 159826 Knapp | 2003 SF331 | Gillian R. Knapp (born 1944), Anglo-American astronomer and a Founding Mother of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey | JPL · 159826 |
| 159827 Keithmullen | 2003 TD2 | Keith Mullen (born 1952), American vice president of the Huachuca Astronomy Club of Sierra Vista, Arizona (see 133753 Teresamullen) | JPL · 159827 |
| 159865 Silvialonso | 2004 PX66 | Silvia Alonso Perez (born 1976), teacher of astrometry to many Spanish amateur astronomers | JPL · 159865 |
159901–160000
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 159902 Gladstone | 2004 TY354 | George Randall Gladstone (born 1956), a Program Director for Research and Development at the Southwest Research Institute, who worked as a Co-Investigator and Atmospheres Team Lead for the New Horizons mission to Pluto. | JPL · 159902 |
| 159974 Badacsony | 2006 BD141 | Badacsony, a region in western Hungary, located north of Lake Balaton | JPL · 159974 |
| 159999 Michaelgriffin | 2006 EZ67 | Michael D. Griffin (born 1949) served as the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Space Department Head and previously served as the NASA Administrator during the New Horizons Mission to Pluto. | JPL · 159999 |
| 160000 Lemmon | 2006 GN18 | Sara Plummer Lemmon (1836–1923) was an American botanist. She is credited with discovery of many new species of plants, and the subgenus Plummera. Mount Lemmon, the highest peak in the Santa Catalina Mountains in Arizona is named for her. | IAU · 160000 |
References
- ^ "WGSBN Bulletin Archive". Working Group Small Body Nomenclature. 14 May 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
- ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ^ "JPL – Solar System Dynamics: Discovery Circumstances". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
- ^ Schmadel, Lutz D. (2003). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ^ Schmadel, Lutz D. (2006). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – Addendum to Fifth Edition: 2003–2005. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. ISBN 978-3-540-34360-8. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ^ Herget, Paul (1968). The Names of the Minor Planets. Cincinnati, Ohio: Minor Planet Center, Cincinnati Observatory. OCLC 224288991.
- ^ "Guide to Minor Body Astrometry – When can I name my discovery?". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
- ^ "Minor Planet Naming Guidelines (Rules and Guidelines for naming non-cometary small Solar-System bodies) – v1.0" (PDF). Working Group Small Body Nomenclature (PDF). 20 December 2021.
This page was last edited on 16 November 2023, at 03:27