Asminor planet discoveries are confirmed, they are given a permanent number by theIAU'sMinor Planet Center (MPC), and the discoverers can then submit names for them, following the IAU'snaming 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 namedsmall Solar System bodies are approved and published in a bulletin by IAU'sWorking Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature (WGSBN).[1] Before May 2021, citations were published in MPC'sMinor Planet Circulars for many decades.[2] Recent citations can also be found on theJPL Small-Body Database (SBDB).[3] Until his death in 2016, German astronomerLutz D. Schmadel compiled these citations into theDictionary of Minor Planet Names (DMP) and regularly updated the collection.[4][5]
Based onPaul Herget'sThe 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 thepublic domain: SBDB New namings may only beadded 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]
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45027 Cosquer | 1999 WA9 | Henri Cosquer (born 1950), a professional French diver who discoveredCosquer Cave near Marseille, France in 1985. The cave's entrance is below the Mediterranean sea level and contains numerouscave painting, some of them over 27,000 years old. The asteroid's name was proposed by G. Burki. | JPL · 45027 |
| 45073 Doyanrose | 1999 XN37 | Doyan Rose Ruthroff (1923–1974), mother of American astronomerJohn Ruthroff, who discovered this minor planet. | JPL · 45073 |
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| There are no named minor planets in this number range | |||
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45261 Decoen | 2000 AB2 | Yvette Decoen (born 1951), a Swiss physics teacher and friend of Swiss amateur astronomerStefano Sposetti who discovered this minor planet. | MPC · 45261 |
| 45298 Williamon | 2000 AE42 | Richard Williamon (born 1946), American astronomer, researcher of eclipsing stars and member of theIAU. He serves as director of theFernbank Science Center with its observatory and planetarium in Atlanta (IAU). | JPL · 45298 |
| 45299 Stivell | 2000 AL43 | Alan Stivell (born 1944), a French and Breton musician and a master of the Celtic harp. | JPL · 45299 |
| 45300 Thewrewk | 2000 AF45 | Aurél Ponori Thewrewk (1921–2014), Hungarian astronomical historian, director of the Urania Public Observatory and the Budapest Planetarium, honorary president of the Hungarian Astronomical Association(hu) | JPL · 45300 |
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45305 Paulscherrer | 2000 AH48 | Paul Scherrer, Swiss physicist and mathematician | JPL · 45305 |
| 45338 Ericevans | 2000 AT85 | Eric D. Evans (b. 1961), an American engineer, provided technical leadership, expertise, and strategic direction for 18 years as Director of MIT Lincoln Laboratory. | IAU · 45338 |
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45492 Sławomirbreiter | 2000 AD241 | Sławomir Breiter (born 1963) is a professor at the Poznań Astronomical Observatory in Poland. His work focuses on celestial mechanics, including contributions to the development of analytical and semi-analytical theories of the asteroidal YORP effect and the study of orbital dynamics | IAU · 45492 |
| 45500 Motegi | 2000 BN3 | Hiromitsu Motegi (born 1960), a Japanese amateur astronomer and a promoter and instructor of astronomy, especially to children. Through his web site, he also collaborates with other Japanese amateur astronomers (HP). | JPL · 45500 |
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45509 Robertward | 2000 BZ22 | Robert Ward (born 1976) was inspired by his sighting of a fireball from his home in Bullhead City, Arizona in 1989. He has gone on to find nearly 6, 000 meteorites in 600 localities on six continents, including the recovery of over 20 witnessed falls. | JPL · 45509 |
| 45510 Kashuba | 2000 BB23 | John H. Kashuba (born 1947) is a meteorite collector and photographer whose artful high-resolution images of meteorites in thin section appear in books, magazines and online, including his Micro Visions column in Meteorite Times. With Belgian chemist Roger Warin, he authored the Centerpiece column in Meteorite magazine. | JPL · 45510 |
| 45511 Anneblack | 2000 BC23 | Anne Black (born 1944) is one of the founders of the International Meteorite Collector's Association and served three terms as president. She has translated numerous books and articles about meteorites from her native French into English for publication in the U.S. | JPL · 45511 |
| 45512 Holcomb | 2000 BD23 | Amasa Holcomb (1787–1875) was a self taught American astronomer and optician who fabricated surveying instruments and astronomical telescopes of Herschelian configuration up to 254 mm aperture. Two of his instruments are currently at the Smithsonian Institution. | JPL · 45512 |
| 45517 Jett | 2000 BE31 | Jacob (born 1986) and Caitlin Jett (born 1986) are a husband and wife team of amateur astronomers who not only observe together but have fabricated much of their own astronomical equipment. Using this equipment they also conduct educational outreach. Jacob is a professional paleontologist inColorado. | JPL · 45517 |
| 45518 Larrykrozel | 2000 BO33 | Larry Krozel (1964–2020), a planetarium lecturer at the Treworgy Planetarium inMystic Seaport,Connecticut. He could explain complex astronomical concepts to visitors of all ages and was an active member of the International Meteorite Collectors Association and the AAVSO Solar Section. | JPL · 45518 |
| 45519 Triebold | 2000 BS33 | Michael Triebold (born 1953), an American paleontologist, preparator of museum fossils, and founder ofTriebold Paleontology Incorporated. He was awarded the 2019 Charles H. Sternberg Medal by the Association of Applied Paleontological Sciences for "contributions to paleontology" and for "fostering cooperation and understanding between professional, amateur and academic paleontologists". | IAU · 45519 |
| 45580 Renéracine | 2000 CB81 | René Racine (born 1939), a Canadian astronomer who is an expert inglobular clusters, galaxies, astronomical instruments and adaptive optics. He has been a long-time director of theMont Mégantic Observatory andCanada–France–Hawaii Telescope. | JPL · 45580 |
| 45594 Wendyrichard | 2000 CJ111 | Wendy Richard (1943-2009), English actress best known for playing Miss Shirley Brahms onAre You Being Served? andPauline Fowler onEastEnders | IAU · 45594 |
| 45595 Inman | 2000 CK111 | John Inman (1935-2007), English actor best known for playing Mr. Humphries onAre You Being Served? | IAU · 45595 |
| 45596 Molliesugden | 2000 CF112 | Mollie Sugden (1922-2009), British actress best known for playing Mrs. Betty Slocombe onAre You Being Served? | IAU · 45596 |
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45640 Mikepuzio | 2000 ED21 | Mike Puzio (born 2004) is an Eagle Scout. He suggested the name for Bennu, target of the OSIRIS-REx mission. He has given many presentations about the mission as an OSIRIS-REx Ambassador. | IAU · 45640 |
| 45665 Kristinblock | 1998 HF4 | Kristin Block (b. 1978), an American space scientist, astrobiologist, and musician. | IAU · 45665 |
| 45641 Larrypuzio | 2000 EK21 | Larry Puzio (b. 1965), an OSIRIS-REx Ambassador, busy pediatrician, and life-long fan of space exploration. | IAU · 45641 |
| 45685 Torrycoppin | 2000 EA139 | Torry Coppin (1950–1993) was an amateur astronomer and an electronics engineer for radio stations in the Sarasota, Florida area. | JPL · 45685 |
| 45687 Pranverahyseni | 2000 EK140 | Pranvera Hyseni (born 1995) is the founder and Director ofAstronomy Outreach of Kosovo, the largest non-profit astronomy outreach organization in that country. She is an enthusiastic ambassador for Kosovo amateur astronomy. | JPL · 45687 |
| 45688 Lawrencestacey | 2000 EV142 | K. Lawrence Stacey (born 1950) is a long-time amateur astronomer, first as a youth in Southfield, Michigan and later inAsheville,North Carolina. He specializes in the observation of multiple stars. | JPL · 45688 |
| 45689 Brianjones | 2000 EC144 | Brian Jones (born 1953) is a founding member of Bradford Astronomical Society. Known for writing many articles for newspapers, magazines and journals (scientific and general-interest), he has also penned over 18 books which have covered a range of astronomy and space-related topics. | JPL · 45689 |
| 45690 Janiradebaugh | 2000 EL146 | Jani Radebaugh (born 1970) is an American planetary scientist and professor of geology atBrigham Young University. She is a contributing scientist with NASA'sDragonfly mission. | JPL · 45690 |
| 45692 Poshyachinda | 2000 EJ148 | Saran Poshyachinda (born 1964) is executive director of the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand. Encouraging public interest in astronomy, he was crucial in the construction of the Thai National Observatory, regional observatories for the public throughout Thailand and a 40-m radio telescope. | JPL · 45692 |
| 45699 Maryalba | 2000 EO199 | Mary Alba (born 1957) is the daughter of Walter and Peggy Haas, founders of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO). On her own she has been a strong supporter of the organization, encouraging observers and taking her displays of ALPO history to national astronomical meetings. | IAU · 45699 |
| 45700 Levi-Setti | 2000 EP204 | Riccardo Levi-Setti (born 1928), a world-renowned expert on trilobites. | JPL · 45700 |
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45737 Benita | 2000 HB | Benita Segal, American physician and wife of the discoverer | JPL · 45737 |
| 45752 Venditti | 2000 JY70 | Flaviane Venditti (born 1980) is an observatory scientist at the Arecibo Observatory, Puerto Rico, who specializes in radar observations of near-Earth asteroids, impact mitigation techniques, and spacecraft dynamics. | IAU · 45752 |
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45846 Avdellidou | 2000 RA96 | Chrysoula Avdellidou (born 1987) has contributed significantly to knowledge of hypervelocity impact physics with experimental, theoretical and lunar flash observations. She showed that collisions can implant projectile material on small body surfaces, clarifying previously unexplained observations. | IAU · 45846 |
| 45847 Gartrelle | 2000 RC96 | Gordon Gartrelle (born 1955) received his Ph.D. from the University of North Dakota. His primary studies are of D-type asteroids, their potential parent bodies, and their mineralogy. | IAU · 45847 |
| 45855 Susumuyoshitomi | 2000 TA2 | Susumu Yoshitomi (born 1948) is one of the directors of the Japan Space Forum. He contributed greatly to the construction ofBisei Spaceguard Center. | IAU · 45855 |
| 45878 Sadaoaoki | 2000 WX29 | Sadao Aoki (born 1962) is one of the staff of the Japan Space Forum. For many years, he has contributed greatly to the operation and facility maintenance of the Bisei Spaceguard Center. | IAU · 45878 |
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| There are no named minor planets in this number range | |||
| Preceded by | Meanings of minor-planet names List of minor planets: 45,001–46,000 | Succeeded by |
