The following is a collection of lists ofasteroids of theSolar System that are exceptional in some way, such as their size or orbit. For the purposes of this article, "asteroid" refers tominor planets out to the orbit ofNeptune, and includes thedwarf planetCeres, theJupiter trojans and thecentaurs, but nottrans-Neptunian objects (objects in theKuiper belt,scattered disc orinner Oort cloud). For a complete list of minor planets innumerical order, seeList of minor planets.
Asteroids are given minor planet numbers, but not allminor planets are asteroids. Minor planet numbers are also given to objects of theKuiper belt, which is similar to the asteroid belt but farther out (around 30–60 AU). Asteroids are mostly between 2–3 AU from the Sun or at the orbit of Jupiter, 5 AU from the Sun. Comets are not typically included under minor planet numbers, and have their ownnaming conventions.
Asteroids are given a unique sequential identifying number once their orbit is precisely determined. Prior to this, they are known only by their systematic name orprovisional designation, such as1950 DA.
Estimating the sizes of asteroids from observations is difficult due to their irregular shapes, varyingalbedo, and smallangular diameter. Observations by theVery Large Telescope of most large asteroids were published 2019–2021.[1][2]
| Name | Picture | Diameter (km) (geometric mean) | Dimensions (km) | Mean distance from Sun (inAU) | Inclination (°) | Date discovered | Discoverer | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Ceres | _(cropped).jpg) | 939.4±0.2 | 964.4 × 964.2 × 891.8 | 2.766 | 10.6 | January 1, 1801 | Piazzi, G. | G |
| 4 Vesta |  | 525.4±0.2 | 572.6 × 557.2 × 446.4 ± 0.2 | 2.362 | 7.14 | March 29, 1807 | Olbers, H. W. | V |
| 2 Pallas |  | 511±4[1] | 568×530×450 | 2.773 | 34.9 | March 28, 1802 | Olbers, H. W. | B |
| 10 Hygiea |  | 433±8[1] | 450×430×424 | 3.139 | 5.1 | April 12, 1849 | de Gasparis, A. | C |
| 704 Interamnia |  | 332±5[1] | 362×348×310 | 3.062 | 17.3 | October 2, 1910 | Cerulli, V. | F |
| 52 Europa |  | 319±4[1] | 378×336×255 | 3.095 | 7.48 | February 4, 1858 | Goldschmidt, H. | C |
| 511 Davida |  | 298±4[1] | 359×293×253 | 3.168 | 15.9 | May 30, 1903 | Dugan, R. S. | C |
| 87 Sylvia |  | 271±5[1] | 363×249×191 or 374×248×194 | 3.485 | 10.9 | May 16, 1866 | Pogson, N. R. | X |
| 15 Eunomia |  | 270±3[1] | 357×255×212 | 2.643 | 11.75 | July 29, 1851 | de Gasparis, A. | S |
| 31 Euphrosyne |  | 268±4[1] | 294×280×248 | 3.149 | 26.3 | September 1, 1854 | Ferguson, J. | C |
| 65 Cybele |  | 263±3 | 297 × 291 × 213 | 3.439 | 3.56 | March 8, 1861 | Tempel, E. W. | C |
| 624 Hektor |  | 256±12 (if bilobe) | 403 × 201 | 5.235 | 18.66 | February 10, 1907 | Kopff, A. | D |
| 3 Juno | .png) | 254±2[1] | 288×250×225 | 2.672 | 12.98 | September 1, 1804 | Harding, K. L. | S |
| 451 Patientia | 254±3 | 3.059 | 15.2 | December 4, 1899 | Charlois, A. | |||
| 107 Camilla | .png) | 254±12[3] | 3.476 | 10 | November 17, 1868 | Pogson, N. R. | C | |
| 324 Bamberga |  | 227±3[1] | 234×224×225 | 2.684 | 11.1 | February 25, 1892 | Palisa, J. | C |
| 16 Psyche |  | 223±3[1] | 279×232×189 ± 10% | 2.924 | 3.1 | March 17, 1852 | de Gasparis, A. | M |
| 88 Thisbe |  | 218±3[1] | 255×232×193 | 2.769 | 5.22 | June 15, 1866 | Peters, C. H. F. | B |
| 48 Doris |  | 215±3[1] | 257×211×185 | 3.108 | 6.55 | September 19, 1857 | Goldschmidt, H. | C |
| 19 Fortuna |  | 211±2[1] | 225×205×195 | 2.442 | 1.57 | August 22, 1852 | Hind, J. R. | G |
| 121 Hermione | .png) | 209±5?[4] | 3.457 | 7.6 | May 12, 1872 | Watson, J. C. | C | |
| 24 Themis |  | 208±3[1] | 232×220×176 | 3.136 | 0.76 | April 5, 1853 | de Gasparis, A. | C |
| 94 Aurora | .png) | 205±4 ? (< 200 km)[1] | 225×173 | 3.160 | 7.97 | September 6, 1867 | Watson, J. C. | C |
| 29 Amphitrite |  | 204±2[1] | 222×209×183 | 2.554 | 6.08 | March 1, 1854 | Marth, A. | S |
| 13 Egeria |  | 202±3[1] | 238×199×182 | 2.576 | 16.54 | November 2, 1850 | de Gasparis, A. | G |
| 130 Elektra |  | 199±2[1] | 262×205×164 | 3.127 | 22.78 | February 17, 1873 | C. H. F. Peters | C |
| 7 Iris |  | 199±10[1] | 268×234×180[5] | 2.386 | 5.52 | August 13, 1847 | Hind, J. R. | S |
| 6 Hebe |  | 195±3[1] | 205x185x170 | 2.426 | 14.75 | July 1, 1847 | Hencke, K. L. | S |
| 375 Ursula | 192±4 | 3.126 | 15.94 | September 18, 1893 | Charlois, A. | C | ||
| 702 Alauda | 191±2 | 3.195 | 20.59 | July 16, 1910 | Helffrich, J. | C/B | ||
| 45 Eugenia |  | 188±2[1] | 252×191×138 | 2.720 | 6.61 | June 27, 1857 | Goldschmidt, H. | F |
| 41 Daphne |  | 187±13[1] | 235×183×153 | 2.765 | 15.77 | May 22, 1856 | Goldschmidt, H. | C |
| 154 Bertha | _Bertha.png) | 186±2 | 3.195 | 20.972 | November 4, 1875 | Henry, P. M. | C | |
| 423 Diotima | .png) | 176±4 | 3.065 | 11.23 | December 7, 1896 | Charlois, A. | C | |
| 259 Aletheia | 174±1 | 3.135 | 10.81 | June 28, 1886 | Peters, C. H. F. | C/P/X | ||
| 372 Palma | .png) | 174±3 | 3.149 | 23.83 | August 19, 1893 | Charlois, A. | B | |
| 9 Metis |  | 173±2[1] | 222×182×130 | 2.385 | 5.58 | April 25, 1848 | Graham, A. | S |
| 532 Herculina | .png) | 168±1 | 2.772 | 16.31 | April 20, 1904 | Wolf, M. | S | |
| 354 Eleonora |  | 165±3[1] | 191×162×144 | 2.798 | 18.4 | January 17, 1893 | Auguste Charlois | S |
| 128 Nemesis |  | 163±5[1] | 178×163×147 | 2.751 | 6.25 | November 25, 1872 | Watson, J. C. | C |
| (4:1 resonance)[sort by 'Mean Distance from Sun' to place in table] | 2.06 | (defines inner edge of main belt) | ||||||
| (3:1 resonance) | 2.50 | (separates inner from middle belt) | ||||||
| (5:2 resonance) | 2.82 | (separates middle from outer belt) | ||||||
| (7:3 resonance) | 2.95 | |||||||
| (2:1 resonance) | 3.27 | (defines outermost belt) | ||||||
| (1:1 resonance) | 5.20 | (Trojan asteroids – defines outer edge of main belt) | ||||||
The number of bodiesgrows rapidly as the size decreases. Based onIRAS data there are about 140main-belt asteroids with a diameter greater than 120 km,[6] which is approximately the transition point between surviving primordial asteroids and fragments thereof.[7][8] For a more complete list, seeList of Solar System objects by size.
The inner asteroid belt (defined as the region interior to the 3:1Kirkwood gap at 2.50 AU) has few large asteroids. Of those in the above list, only4 Vesta,19 Fortuna,6 Hebe,7 Iris and9 Metis orbit there. (Sort table by mean distance.)
Below are the sixteen most-massive measured asteroids.[9]Ceres, at a third the estimated mass of theasteroid belt, is half again as massive as the next fifteen put together. The masses of asteroids are estimated fromperturbations they induce on the orbits of otherasteroids, except for asteroids that have been visited by spacecraft or have an observable moon, where a direct mass calculation is possible. Different sets ofastrometric observations lead to different mass determinations; the biggest problem is accounting for the aggregateperturbations caused by all of the smallerasteroids.[10]
| Name | Mass (×1018 kg) | Precision | Approx. proportion of all asteroids |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Ceres | 938.35 | 0.001% (938.34–938.36) | 39.2% |
| 4 Vesta | 259.076 | 0.0004% (259.075–259.077) | 10.8% |
| 2 Pallas | 204 | 1.5% (201–207) | 8.5% |
| 10 Hygiea | 87 | 8% (80–94) | 3.6% |
| 704 Interamnia | 35 | 14% (30–40) | 1.5% |
| 15 Eunomia | 30 | 6% (29–32) | 1.3% |
| 3 Juno | 27 | 9% (25–29) | 1.1% |
| 511 Davida | 27 | 27% (19–34) | 1.1% |
| 52 Europa | 24 | 16% (20–28) | 1.0% |
| 16 Psyche | 23 | 13% (20–26) | 1.0% |
| 532 Herculina | ≈ 23 | ? | ≈ 1% |
| 31 Euphrosyne | 17 | 18% (14–19) | 0.7% |
| 65 Cybele | 15 | 12% (13–17) | 0.6% |
| 87 Sylvia | 14.76 | 0.4% (14.70–14.82)[12] | 0.6% |
| 7 Iris | 14 | 17% (11–16) | 0.6% |
| 29 Amphitrite | 13 | 16% (11–15) | 0.5% |
| 6 Hebe | 12 | 20% (10–15) | 0.5% |
| 88 Thisbe | 12 | 20% (9–14) | 0.5% |
| 107 Camilla | 11.2 | 1% (11.1–11.3)[3] | 0.5% |
| 324 Bamberga | 10 | 9% (9–11) | 0.4% |
| Total | 1781 | NA | 75% |
The proportions assume that the total mass of the asteroid belt is2.39×1021 kg, or(12.4±1.0)×10−10M☉.[13]
Outside the top four, the ranking of all the asteroids is uncertain, as there is a great deal of overlap among the estimates.
The largest asteroids with an accurately measured mass, because they have been studied by the probeDawn, are1 Ceres with a mass of(939.3±0.5)×1018 kg, and4 Vesta at(259.076±0.001)×1018 kg. The third-largest asteroid with an accurately measured mass, because it has moons, is87 Sylvia at(14.76±0.06)×1018 kg. Other large asteroids with masses measured from their moons are107 Camilla and130 Elektra.[3][14][1]
For a more complete list, seeList of Solar System objects by size. Other large asteroids such as423 Diotima currently only have estimated masses.[15][16]
Only Vesta is regularly bright enough to be seen with the naked eye. Under ideal viewing conditions with very dark skies, a keen eye might be able to also see Ceres, as well as Pallas and Iris at their rare perihelic oppositions.[17] The following asteroids can all reach anapparent magnitude brighter than or equal to the +8.3 attained bySaturn's moonTitan at its brightest, which was discovered 145 years before the first asteroid was found owing to its closeness to the easily observed Saturn.
None of the asteroids in the outer part of the asteroid belt can ever attain this brightness. Even Hygiea and Interamnia rarely reach magnitudes of above 10.0. This is due to the different distributions of spectral types within different sections of the asteroid belt: the highest-albedo asteroids are all concentrated closer to the orbit ofMars, and much lower albedoC andD types are common in the outer belt.
Those asteroids with very high eccentricities will only reach their maximum magnitude rarely, when their perihelion is very close to a heliocentric conjunction with Earth, or (in the cases of433 Eros,99942 Apophis,(152680) 1998 KJ9,(153814) 2001 WN5, and367943 Duende) when the asteroid passes very close to Earth.
| Asteroid | Magnitude when brightest[citation needed] | Semi- major axis (AU) | Eccentricity of orbit | Diameter (km) | Year of discovery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99942 Apophis | 3.4* | 0.922 | 0.191 | 0.32 | 2004 |
| 4 Vesta | 5.20 | 2.361 | 0.089172 | 529 | 1807 |
| 2 Pallas | 6.49 | 2.773 | 0.230725 | 544 | 1802 |
| 1 Ceres | 6.65 | 2.766 | 0.079905 | 952 | 1801 |
| 7 Iris | 6.73 | 2.385 | 0.231422 | 200 | 1847 |
| 433 Eros | 6.8 | 1.458 | 0.222725 | 34 × 11 × 11 | 1898 |
| (153814) 2001 WN5 | 6.85 | 1.711 | 0.467207 | 0.93 | 2001 |
| 367943 Duende | 7.04 | 0.910 | 0.089319 | 0.04 × 0.02 | 2012 |
| 6 Hebe | 7.5 | 2.425 | 0.201726 | 186 | 1847 |
| 3 Juno | 7.5 | 2.668 | 0.258194 | 233 | 1804 |
| 18 Melpomene | 7.5 | 2.296 | 0.218708 | 141 | 1852 |
| (152680) 1998 KJ9 | 7.74 | 1.448 | 0.639770 | 0.5 | 1998 |
| 15 Eunomia | 7.9 | 2.643 | 0.187181 | 268 | 1851 |
| 8 Flora | 7.9 | 2.202 | 0.156207 | 128 | 1847 |
| 324 Bamberga | 8.0 | 2.682 | 0.338252 | 229 | 1892 |
| 1036 Ganymed | 8.1 | 2.6657 | 0.533710 | 32 | 1924 |
| 9 Metis | 8.1 | 2.387 | 0.121441 | 190 | 1848 |
| 192 Nausikaa | 8.2 | 2.404 | 0.246216 | 103 | 1879 |
| 20 Massalia | 8.3 | 2.409 | 0.142880 | 145 | 1852 |
* Apophis will only achieve that brightness on April 13, 2029.[18][19] It typically has an apparent magnitude of 20–22.
This list contains theslowest-rotating known minor planets with a period of at least 1000 hours, or 412⁄3 days, while most bodies haverotation periods between 2 and 20 hours. AlsoseePotentially slow rotators for minor planets with an insufficiently accurate period (U < 2).
| # | Minor planet designation | Rotation period (hours) | Δmag | Quality (U) | Orbit orfamily | Spectral type | Diameter (km) | Abs. mag (H) | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | (162058) 1997 AE12 | 1880 | 0.6 | 2 | NEO | S | 0.782 | 17.9 | LCDB · List |
| 2. | 846 Lipperta | 1641 | 0.30 | 2 | Themis | CBU: | 52.41 | 10.26 | LCDB · List |
| 3. | 2440 Educatio | 1561 | 0.80 | 2 | Flora | S | 6.51 | 13.1 | LCDB · List |
| 4. | 912 Maritima | 1332 | 0.18 | 3− | MBA(outer) | C | 82.14 | 9.30 | LCDB · List |
| 5. | 9165 Raup | 1320 | 1.34 | 3− | Hungaria | S | 4.62 | 13.60 | LCDB · List |
| 6. | 1235 Schorria | 1265 | 1.40 | 3 | Hungaria | CX: | 5.04 | 13.10 | LCDB · List |
| 7. | 50719 Elizabethgriffin | 1256 | 0.42 | 2 | Eunomia | S | 3.40 | 14.65 | LCDB · List |
| 8. | (75482) 1999 XC173 | 1234.2 | 0.69 | 2 | Vestian | S | 2.96 | 15.01 | LCDB · List |
| 9. | 288 Glauke | 1170 | 0.90 | 3 | MBA(outer) | S | 32.24 | 10.00 | LCDB · List |
| 10. | (39546) 1992 DT5 | 1167.4 | 0.80 | 2 | MBA(outer) | C | 5.34 | 15.09 | LCDB · List |
| 11. | 496 Gryphia | 1072 | 1.25 | 3 | Flora | S | 15.47 | 11.61 | LCDB · List |
| 12. | 4524 Barklajdetolli | 1069 | 1.26 | 2 | Flora | S | 7.14 | 12.90 | LCDB · List |
| 13. | 2675 Tolkien | 1060 | 0.75 | 2+ | Flora | S | 9.85 | 12.20 | LCDB · List |
| 14. | (219774) 2001 YY145 | 1007.7 | 0.86 | 2 | MBA(inner) | S | 1.54 | 16.43 | LCDB · List |
This list contains thefastest-rotating minor planets with a period of less than 100 seconds, or 0.0277 hours. Bodies with a highly uncertain period, having aquality of less than 2, are highlighted in dark-grey. The fastest rotating bodies are all unnumberednear-Earth objects (NEOs) with a diameter of less than 100 meters(see table).
Among thenumbered minor planets with an unambiguous period solution are(459872) 2014 EK24, a 60-meter sized stony NEO with a period of 352 seconds, as well as(335433) 2005 UW163 and(60716) 2000 GD65, twomain-belt asteroids, with a diameter of 0.86 and 2.25 kilometers and a period of 1.29 and 1.95 hours, respectively (seefull list).
| # | Minor planet designation | Rotation period | Δmag | Quality (U) | Orbit or family | Spectral type | Diameter (km) | Abs. mag (H) | Refs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (seconds) | (hours) | |||||||||
| 1. | 2014 RC | 16 | 0.004389 | 0.10 | n.a. | NEO | S | 0.012 | 26.80 | LCDB · MPC |
| 2. | 2015 SV6 | 18 | 0.00490 | 0.74 | 2 | NEO | S | 0.009 | 27.70 | LCDB · MPC |
| 3. | 2010 JL88 | 25 | 0.0068295 | 0.52 | 3 | NEO | S | 0.013 | 26.80 | LCDB · MPC |
| 4. | 2017 EK | 30 | 0.0083 | 0.30 | 2 | NEO | S | 0.045 | 24.10 | LCDB · MPC |
| 5. | 2010 WA | 31 | 0.0085799 | 0.22 | 3 | NEO | S | 0.003 | 30.00 | LCDB · MPC |
| 6. | 2017 UK8 | 31 | 0.0086309 | 1.30 | 3 | NEO | S | 0.007 | 28.20 | LCDB · MPC |
| 7. | 2016 GE1 | 34 | 0.009438 | 0.13 | 2 | NEO | S | 0.014 | 26.60 | LCDB · MPC |
| 8. | 2008 HJ | 43 | 0.01185 | 0.80 | 3− | NEO | S | 0.021 | 25.80 | LCDB · MPC |
| 9. | 2009 TM8 | 43 | 0.012 | – | n.a. | NEO | S | 0.006 | 28.40 | LCDB · MPC |
| 10. | 2015 SU | 46 | 0.0127 | 0.20 | 2− | NEO | S | 0.025 | 25.40 | LCDB · MPC |
| 11. | 2010 SK13 | 52 | 0.0144 | – | n.a. | NEO | S | 0.01 | 27.40 | LCDB · MPC |
| 12. | 2009 BF2 | 57 | 0.01593 | 0.80 | 3 | NEO | S | 0.02 | 25.90 | LCDB · MPC |
| 13. | 2016 GS2 | 66 | 0.0182725 | 0.06 | 1 | NEO | S | 0.075 | 23.00 | LCDB · MPC |
| 14. | 2010 TG19 | 70 | 0.0193935 | 1.10 | 3 | NEO | S | 0.049 | 23.90 | LCDB · MPC |
| 15. | 2008 WA14 | 70 | 0.0195 | – | n.a. | NEO | S | 0.075 | 23.00 | LCDB · MPC |
| 16. | 2007 KE4 | 77 | 0.021408 | 0.38 | 3− | NEO | S | 0.027 | 25.20 | LCDB · MPC |
| 17. | 2000 DO8 | 78 | 0.0217 | 1.39 | 3 | NEO | S | 0.037 | 24.54 | LCDB · MPC |
| 18. | 2014 GQ17 | 78 | 0.0217 | 0.08 | 2− | NEO | S | 0.011 | 27.10 | LCDB · MPC |
| 19. | 2014 TV | 79 | 0.02190 | 0.32 | 2 | NEO | S | 0.039 | 24.40 | LCDB · MPC |
| 20. | 2000 WH10 | 80 | 0.02221 | 0.66 | 3− | NEO | S | 0.094 | 22.50 | LCDB · MPC |
| 21. | 2012 HG2 | 82 | 0.0227 | – | n.a. | NEO | S | 0.012 | 27.00 | LCDB · MPC |
| 22. | 2010 TD54 | 83 | 0.0229317 | 0.92 | 3 | NEO | S | 0.005 | 28.90 | LCDB · MPC |
| 23. | 2010 TS19 | 83 | 0.023 | – | n.a. | NEO | S | 0.022 | 25.70 | LCDB · MPC |
| 24. | 2009 UD | 84 | 0.023246 | 0.66 | 2+ | NEO | S | 0.011 | 27.20 | LCDB · MPC |
| 25. | 2014 WB366 | 86 | 0.0238 | 0.46 | 2+ | NEO | S | 0.033 | 24.80 | LCDB · MPC |
| 26. | 2015 RF36 | 90 | 0.025 | 0.15 | 2 | NEO | S | 0.062 | 23.40 | LCDB · MPC |
| 27. | 2015 AK45 | 93 | 0.0258 | 0.24 | 2 | NEO | S | 0.016 | 26.40 | LCDB · MPC |
| 28. | 2010 XE11 | 96 | 0.0265846 | 0.50 | 3 | NEO | S | 0.075 | 23.00 | LCDB · MPC |
| 29. | 2000 UK11 | 96 | 0.026599 | 0.28 | 2 | NEO | S | 0.026 | 25.30 | LCDB · MPC |
| 30. | 2016 RB1 | 96 | 0.02674 | 0.18 | 2+ | NEO | S | 0.007 | 28.30 | LCDB · MPC |
| 31. | 2015 CM | 96 | 0.0268 | 0.53 | 3− | NEO | S | 0.018 | 26.10 | LCDB · MPC |
| 32. | 2008 TC3 | 97 | 0.0269409 | 1.02 | 3 | NEO | F | 0.004 | 30.90 | LCDB · MPC |
Minor planets with orbital inclinations near or greater than 90° (the greatest possible is 180°) orbit in aretrograde direction. As of March 2018[update], of the near-800,000 minor planets known, there are only 99 known retrograde minor planets (0.01% of total minor planets known).[20] In comparison, there are over 2,000comets with retrograde orbits. This makes retrograde minor planets the rarest group of all. High-inclination asteroids are eitherMars-crossers (possibly in the process of being ejected from the Solar System) ordamocloids. Some of these are temporarily captured in retrograde resonance with the gas giants.[21]
| Minor planet designation | Inclination (°) | First observed/ Discovery date | Condition code | Obs. × arc[2] | Comment | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 TF3 | 89.154° | March 8, 2010 | 40 | Extremely high-inclined trans-Neptunian object.[citation needed] | MPC | |
| 2017 UX51 | 90.517° | October 27, 2017 | 0 | 79254 | — | MPC |
| 2018 SQ13 | 90.973° | September 21, 2018 | 17407 | — | MPC | |
| 2015 TN178 | 91.093° | October 8, 2015 | 0 | 38805 | — | MPC |
| 2005 SB223 | 91.294° | September 30, 2005 | 1 | 12200 | Has a well-determined orbit | MPC |
| 2014 MH55 | 91.486° | June 29, 2014 | 6 | 96 | — | MPC |
| 2010 EQ169 | 91.607° | March 8, 2010 | ? | 15 | Most highly inclined known main-belt asteroid (orbit is not well-known)[citation needed] | MPC |
| 2015 RK245 | 91.616° | September 13, 2015 | 0 | 184680 | — | MPC |
| 2016 TK2 | 92.336° | July 13, 2016 | 2 | 6075 | — | MPC |
| (518151) 2016 FH13 | 93.551° | March 29, 2016 | 0 | 91561 | — | MPC |
| 2014 PP69 | 93.652° | August 5, 2014 | 1 | 8085 | — | MPC |
| 2015 BH311 | 94.160° | January 20, 2015 | ? | 39 | — | MPC |
| 2017 OX68 | 94.748° | July 26, 2017 | 8720 | — | MPC | |
| 2014 JJ57 | 95.924° | May 9, 2014 | 0 | 95710 | — | MPC |
| 2013 HS150 | 97.434° | April 16, 2013 | 220 | — | MPC | |
| (709487) 2013 BL76 | 98.592° | January 20, 2013 | 46716 | Has a semi-major axis of 1254 AU, giving it the third largest semi-major axis of any known minor planet | MPC | |
| 2010 GW147 | 99.835° | April 14, 2010 | 0 | 97888 | — | MPC |
| 2011 MM4 | 100.482° | June 24, 2011 | 0 | 364936 | — | MPC |
| 2017 NM2 | 101.295° | July 6, 2017 | 1 | 28014 | — | MPC |
| 2014 XS3 | 101.381° | December 8, 2014 | 0 | 23544 | — | MPC |
| 2013 BN27 | 101.828° | January 17, 2013 | 1400 | — | MPC | |
| (528219) 2008 KV42 | 103.396° | May 31, 2008 | 1 | 198550 | — | MPC |
| (342842) 2008 YB3 | 105.058° | December 18, 2008 | 0 | 1608789 | — | MPC |
| 2016 PN66 | 105.113° | August 14, 2016 | 0 | 63879 | — | MPC |
| 2010 GW64 | 105.226° | April 6, 2010 | 0 | 9072 | — | MPC |
| 2012 YO6 | 106.883° | December 22, 2012 | 3 | 6674 | — | MPC |
| 2009 DD47 | 107.449° | February 27, 2009 | ? | 1584 | — | MPC |
| 2017 UR52 | 108.218° | October 29, 2017 | 1638 | — | MPC | |
| 2007 VW266 | 108.328° | November 12, 2007 | 5 | 2204 | — | MPC |
| 2011 SP25 | 109.074° | September 20, 2011 | 3 | 3654 | — | MPC |
| 471325 Taowu | 110.104° | May 31, 2011 | 1 | 234828 | — | MPC |
| 2005 TJ50 | 110.226° | October 5, 2005 | 5 | 1488 | — | MPC |
| 2011 OR17 | 110.504° | May 21, 2010 | 71808 | — | MPC | |
| 2005 VX3 | 112.224° | November 1, 2005 | 4212 | Semi-major axis of 837AU, but has a somewhat short 81-day observation arc for such a large orbit | MPC | |
| 2017 SV13 | 113.243° | September 17, 2017 | 4 | 2160 | — | MPC |
| 2016 LS | 114.338° | June 27, 2015 | 0 | 26688 | — | MPC |
| 2015 YY18 | 118.243° | December 29, 2015 | 0 | 33454 | — | MPC |
| 2010 OM101 | 118.797° | July 28, 2010 | 2 | 3535 | — | MPC |
| (65407) 2002 RP120 | 118.970° | September 4, 2002 | 0 | 648554 | This outer-planet crosser is a damocloid andSDO. | MPC |
| 2010 PO58 | 121.179° | August 5, 2010 | 8 | 120 | — | MPC |
| 2010 LG61 | 123.886° | June 2, 2010 | 7 | 935 | — | MPC |
| (468861) 2013 LU28 | 125.356° | June 8, 2013 | 0 | 238336 | — | MPC |
| 2014 SQ339 | 128.506° | September 29, 2014 | 4 | 1334 | — | MPC |
| 2000 DG8 | 129.246° | February 25, 2000 | 2 | 42408 | A damocloid andSDO. Crosses all the outer planets exceptNeptune. Came within 0.03 AU of Ceres in 1930.[22] | MPC |
| 2016 CO264 | 129.820° | February 14, 2016 | 0 | 23800 | — | MPC |
| 2013 NS11 | 130.333° | July 5, 2013 | 0 | 143510 | — | MPC |
| 2005 NP82 | 130.505° | July 6, 2005 | 1 | 662673 | — | MPC |
| 2006 RG1 | 133.437° | September 1, 2006 | 4 | 750 | Has an orbit with a data arc of 25 days | MPC |
| 2012 YE8 | 136.049° | December 21, 2012 | 5 | 1066 | — | MPC |
| 2017 AX13 | 137.204° | January 2, 2017 | 3 | 1785 | — | MPC |
| 2009 QY6 | 137.668° | August 17, 2009 | 1 | 43990 | — | MPC |
| 2016 TP93 | 138.330° | October 9, 2016 | ? | 704 | — | MPC |
| 2016 YB13 | 139.682° | December 23, 2016 | 1 | 50718 | — | MPC |
| 2019 EJ3 | 139.758° | March 4, 2019 | ? | 576 | — | MPC |
| 2015 AO44 | 139.934° | November 27, 2014 | 0 | 115821 | — | MPC |
| (336756) 2010 NV1 | 140.773° | July 1, 2010 | 0 | 330022 | Perihelion at 9.4 AU, only2008 KV42 has perihelion further out (154-day data arc) | MPC |
| 2011 WS41 | 141.645° | November 24, 2011 | ? | 108 | — | MPC |
| 2010 OR1 | 143.912° | January 25, 2010 | 1 | 35032 | — | MPC |
| 2010 BK118 | 143.914° | January 30, 2010 | 374596 | Semi-major axis of 408 AU with perihelion at 6.1 AU in April 2012 (1 year data arc) | MPC | |
| (523797) 2016 NM56 | 144.034° | November 1, 2012 | 0 | 227052 | — | MPC |
| 2017 UW51 | 144.203° | October 23, 2017 | 68442 | — | MPC | |
| 2010 CG55 | 146.262° | February 15, 2010 | 0 | 129000 | — | MPC |
| 2012 HD2 | 146.883° | April 18, 2012 | 0 | 31408 | — | MPC |
| 2009 YS6 | 147.767° | December 17, 2009 | 0 | 195734 | — | MPC |
| 2016 VY17 | 148.419° | November 5, 2016 | 0 | 108624 | — | MPC |
| 2017 QO33 | 148.826° | August 16, 2017 | 1 | 45360 | — | MPC |
| 2006 EX52 | 150.148° | March 5, 2006 | 0 | 62310 | q=2.58 AU and period=274 yr | MPC |
| (612093) 1999 LE31 | 151.816° | June 12, 1999 | 2 | 905838 | A damocloid,Jupiter- andSaturn-crossing minor planet.[23] | MPC |
| 2017 SN33 | 152.044° | September 19, 2017 | 7590 | — | MPC | |
| 2018 WB1 | 152.136° | November 19, 2018 | 7 | 351 | — | MPC |
| 2016 JK24 | 152.326° | March 3, 2016 | 0 | 181965 | — | MPC |
| 2017 CW32 | 152.438° | February 2, 2017 | 51500 | — | MPC | |
| 343158 Marsyas | 154.367° | April 29, 2009 | 0 | 771834 | NEO that sometimes has the highestrelative velocity to Earth (79 km/s) of known objects that come within 0.5 AU of Earth. However, the relative velocity at 1 AU from the sun is less than 72 km/s. | MPC |
| 2013 LD16 | 154.736° | June 6, 2013 | 0 | 14148 | — | MPC |
| 2021 TH165 | 154.924° | October 11, 2021 | 3 | 2510 | Retrograde trans-Neptunian object close to a 3:–2 mean-motionorbital resonance with Neptune. | MPC |
| 2015 FK37 | 155.842° | March 20, 2015 | ? | 748 | — | MPC |
| 2010 EB46 | 156.376° | March 12, 2010 | 4 | 2460 | — | MPC |
| 2015 XR384 | 157.514° | December 9, 2015 | 2 | 5580 | — | MPC |
| 2000 HE46 | 158.535° | April 29, 2000 | 2 | 25960 | — | MPC |
| 2015 XX351 | 159.092° | December 9, 2015 | 0 | 21120 | — | MPC |
| 2012 TL139 | 160.027° | October 9, 2012 | 3 | 900 | — | MPC |
| 2019 CR | 160.341° | February 4, 2019 | 1 | 36993 | — | MPC |
| 20461 Dioretsa | 160.428° | June 8, 1999 | 0 | 256779 | most highly inclined known minor planet from June 8, 1999, to July 13, 2004 | MPC |
| 2018 DO4 | 160.475° | February 25, 2018 | 0 | 261726 | — | MPC |
| 2017 JB6 | 160.735° | May 4, 2017 | ? | 6844 | — | MPC |
| (523800) 2017 KZ31 | 161.695° | June 23, 2015 | 0 | 119280 | — | MPC |
| 514107 Kaʻepaokaʻāwela | 163.022° | November 26, 2014 | 0 | 74898 | A Jupiterco-orbital. First known example of a retrograde co-orbital asteroid with any of the planets. Might have an interstellar origin. | MPC Src |
| 2006 RJ2 | 164.601° | September 14, 2006 | 5 | 2849 | — | MPC |
| 2006 BZ8 | 165.311° | January 23, 2006 | 0 | 207459 | — | MPC |
| 2004 NN8 | 165.525° | July 13, 2004 | 23944 | Came within 0.80 AU of Saturn on 2007-Jun-05, most highly inclined known minor planet from 2004/07/13-2005/11/01 | MPC | |
| (459870) 2014 AT28 | 165.558° | November 26, 2013 | 0 | 186598 | — | MPC |
| 2016 DF2 | 167.030° | February 28, 2016 | ? | 26 | — | MPC |
| (330759) 2008 SO218 | 170.324° | September 30, 2008 | 0 | 1058616 | — | MPC |
| 2014 UV114 | 170.569° | October 26, 2014 | ? | 34 | — | MPC |
| 2014 CW14 | 170.764° | February 10, 2014 | 4 | 1938 | — | MPC |
| 2018 TL6 | 170.919° | October 5, 2018 | 7 | 270 | — | MPC |
| 2016 EJ203 | 170.988° | March 11, 2016 | 0 | 18081 | — | MPC |
| 2006 LM1 | 172.138° | June 3, 2006 | ? | 48 | Has a data arc of only 2 days, but has a very high inclination | MPC |
| (434620) 2005 VD | 172.872° | November 1, 2005 | 0 | 228965 | most highly inclined known minor planet from November 1, 2005, to June 1, 2013 | MPC |
| 2013 LA2 | 175.095° | June 1, 2013 | 6 | 1075 | Has the highest inclination of any known minor planet | MPC |
^ the value given when the number of observations is multiplied by the observation arc; larger values are generally better than smaller values depending onresiduals.
| Minor planet designation | Inclination | Discovery date | Comment | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Ceres | 10.593° | January 1, 1801 | most highly inclined known minor planet from January 1, 1801, to March 28, 1802 | MPC |
| 2 Pallas | 34.841° | March 28, 1802 | most highly inclined known minor planet from March 28, 1802, to October 31, 1920 | MPC |
| 944 Hidalgo | 42.525° | October 31, 1920 | most highly inclined known minor planet from October 31, 1920, to May 22, 1950 | MPC |
| 1373 Cincinnati | 38.949° | August 30, 1935 | First main-belt asteroid discovered to have an inclination greater than 2 Pallas. Most highly inclined known main-belt asteroid from August 30, 1935, to June 14, 1980 | MPC |
| 1580 Betulia | 52.083° | May 22, 1950 | most highly inclined known minor planet from May 22, 1950, to July 4, 1973 | MPC |
| 2938 Hopi | 41.436° | June 14, 1980 | Most highly inclined known main-belt asteroid from June 14, 1980, to September 20, 2000 | MPC |
| (5496) 1973 NA | 67.999° | July 4, 1973 | AnApollo asteroid,Mars-crosser and +1 kmNEO; most highly inclined known minor planet from 4 July 1973 to 8 August 1999. | MPC |
| (22653) 1998 QW2 | 45.794° | August 17, 1998 | Most highly inclined known main-belt asteroid from August 17, 1998, to October 19, 1998 | MPC |
| (88043) 2000 UE110 | 51.998° | October 29, 2000 | First main-belt asteroid discovered and numbered to have an inclination greater than 50°. | MPC |
| (138925) 2001 AU43 | 72.132° | January 4, 2001 | AMars-crosser andnear-Earth object. | MPC |
| (127546) 2002 XU93 | 77.904° | December 4, 2002 | A damocloid andSDO. It is almost aUranus outer-grazer. | MPC |
| (196256) 2003 EH1 | 70.790° | March 6, 2003 | AMars-crosser,near-Earth object and Jupiter inner-grazer. | MPC |
| 1998 UQ1 | 64.281° | October 19, 1998 | Most highly inclined known main-belt asteroid from 1998/10/19-2007/11/01 | MPC |
| (467372) 2004 LG | 70.725° | June 9, 2004 | AMercury- throughMars-crosser andnear-Earth object. | MPC |
| 2007 VR6 | 68.659° | November 1, 2007 | Most highly inclined known main-belt asteroid from November 1, 2007, to September 26, 2008 | MPC |
| 2008 SB85 | 74.247° | September 26, 2008 | Most highly inclined known main-belt asteroid from September 26, 2008, to March 8, 2010[citation needed] | MPC |
| Name | Diameter (km) | Discovered | Spacecraft | Year(s) | Closest approach (km) | Closest approach (asteroid radii) | Notes | Landmark(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Ceres | 939.4 | January 1, 1801 | Dawn | 2014–2018 | 375 | 0.80 | Dawn took its first "close up" picture of Ceres in December 2014, and entered orbit in March 2015 | First likely dwarf planet visited by a spacecraft, largest asteroid visited by a spacecraft |
| 4 Vesta | 525.4 | March 29, 1807 | Dawn | 2011–2012 | 210 | 0.76 | Dawn broke orbit on 5 September 2012 and headed to Ceres, where it arrived in March 2015 | First "big four" asteroid visited by a spacecraft, largest asteroid visited by a spacecraft at the time |
| 21 Lutetia | 120×100×80 | November 15, 1852 | Rosetta | 2010 | 3,162 | 64.9 | Flyby on 10 July 2010 | Largest asteroid visited by a spacecraft at the time |
| 243 Ida | 56×24×21 | September 29, 1884 | Galileo | 1993 | 2,390 | 152 | Flyby; discoveredDactyl | First asteroid with a moon visited by a spacecraft, largest asteroid visited by spacecraft at the time |
| 253 Mathilde | 66×48×46 | November 12, 1885 | NEAR Shoemaker | 1997 | 1,212 | 49.5 | Flyby | Largest asteroid visited by a spacecraft at the time |
| 433 Eros | 13×13×33 | August 13, 1898 | NEAR Shoemaker | 1998–2001 | 0 | 0 | 1998 flyby; 2000 orbited (first asteroid studied from orbit); 2001 landing | First asteroid landing, first asteroid orbited by a spacecraft, first near-Earth asteroid (NEA) visited by a spacecraft |
| 951 Gaspra | 18.2×10.5×8.9 | July 30, 1916 | Galileo | 1991 | 1,600 | 262 | Flyby | First asteroid visited by a spacecraft |
| 2867 Šteins | 4.6 | November 4, 1969 | Rosetta | 2008 | 800 | 302 | Flyby | First asteroid visited by theESA |
| 4179 Toutatis | 4.5×~2 | February 10, 1934 | Chang'e 2 | 2012 | 3.2 | 0.70 | Flyby[24] | Closest asteroid flyby, first asteroid visited by China |
| 5535 Annefrank | 4.0 | March 23, 1942 | Stardust | 2002 | 3,079 | 1230 | Flyby | |
| 9969 Braille | 2.2×0.6 | May 27, 1992 | Deep Space 1 | 1999 | 26 | 12.7 | Flyby; followed by flyby ofComet Borrelly | |
| 25143 Itokawa | 0.5×0.3×0.2 | September 26, 1998 | Hayabusa | 2005 | 0 | 0 | Landed; returned dust samples to Earth | First asteroid with returned samples, smallest asteroid visited by a spacecraft, first asteroid visited by a non-NASA spacecraft |
| 162173 Ryugu | 1.0 | May 10, 1999 | Hayabusa2 | 2018–2019 | 0 | 0 | Multiple landers/rovers, sample return | First rovers on an asteroid |
| 101955 Bennu | 0.492 | September 11, 1999 | OSIRIS-REx | 2018–2021 | 0 | 0 | Sample return | Smallest asteroid orbited,potentially hazardous object |
| 65803 Didymos | 0.492 | September 11, 1999 | DART/LICIACube | 2022 | 1.2 | 3.2 | Impactor/flyby | MoonDimorphos impacted byDART spacecraft, flown byLICIACube |
| 152830 Dinkinesh | 0.790 | October 15, 1999 | Lucy | 2023 | 425 | 1076 | Flyby; first of 8 planned asteroid flybys | Smallest main-belt asteroid visited to date; discovered firstcontact binary satellite Selam |
| 52246 Donaldjohanson | 3.9 | March 2, 1981 | Lucy | 2025 | 960 | 240 | Flyby; second of 8 planned asteroid flybys |
| Name | Diameter (km) | Discovered | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Ceres | 939 | January 1, 1801 | First asteroid discovered |
| 5 Astraea | 117 | December 8, 1845 | First asteroid discovered after original four (38 years later) |
| 20 Massalia | 136 | September 19, 1852 | First asteroid named aftercity |
| 45 Eugenia | 202 | June 27, 1857 | First asteroid named afterliving person |
| 87 Sylvia | 261 | May 16, 1866 | First asteroid known to have more than one moon (determined in 2005) |
| 90 Antiope | 80×80 | October 1, 1866 | Double asteroid with two nearly equal components; its double nature was discovered usingadaptive optics in 2000 |
| 216 Kleopatra | 217×94 | April 10, 1880 | Metallic asteroid with "ham-bone" shape and 2 satellites |
| 243 Ida | 56×24×21 | September 29, 1884 | First asteroid known to have amoon (determined in 1994) |
| 243 Ida I Dactyl | 1.4 | February 17, 1994 | Moon of243 Ida, first confirmed satellite of an asteroid |
| 279 Thule | 127 | October 25, 1888 | Orbits in the asteroid belt's outermost edge in a 3:4orbital resonance with Jupiter |
| 288 Glauke | 32 | February 20, 1890 | Exceptionally slow rotation period of about 1200 hours (2 months) |
| 323 Brucia | 36 | December 22, 1891 | First asteroid discovered by means ofastrophotography rather than visual observation |
| 433 Eros | 13×13×33 | August 13, 1898 | Firstnear-Earth asteroid discovered and the second largest; first asteroid to be detected by radar; first asteroid orbited and landed upon |
| 482 Petrina | 23.3 | March 3, 1902 | First asteroid named after dog |
| 490 Veritas | 115 | September 3, 1902 | Created in one of the largest asteroid-on-asteroid collisions of the past 100 million years |
| 588 Achilles | 135.5 | February 22, 1906 | FirstJupiter trojan discovered |
| 624 Hektor | 370×195 | February 10, 1907 | LargestJupiter trojan discovered |
| 719 Albert | 2.4 | October 3, 1911 | Last numbered asteroid to be lost then recovered |
| 935 Clivia | 6.4 | September 7, 1920 | First asteroid named after flower |
| 1090 Sumida | 13 | February 20, 1928 | Lowest numbered asteroid with no English Wikipedia entry |
| 1125 China | 27 | October 30, 1957 | First asteroid discovery to be credited to an institution rather than a person |
| 1566 Icarus | 1.4 | June 27, 1949 | FirstMercury crosser discovered |
| 2309 Mr. Spock | 21.3 | August 16, 1971 | First asteroid named after cat |
| 3200 Phaethon | 5 | October 11, 1983 | First asteroid discovered from space; source ofGeminidsmeteor shower. |
| 3753 Cruithne | 5 | October 10, 1986 | Unusual Earth-associated orbit |
| 4179 Toutatis | 4.5×2.4×1.9 | January 4, 1989 | Closely approached Earth on September 29, 2004 |
| 4769 Castalia | 1.8×0.8 | August 9, 1989 | First asteroid to beradar-imaged in sufficient detail for3D modeling[25] |
| 5261 Eureka | ~2–4 | June 20, 1990 | FirstMars trojan (Lagrangian pointL5) discovered |
| 11885 Summanus | 1.3 | September 25, 1990 | First automated discovery of anear-Earth object (NEO) |
| (29075) 1950 DA | 1.1 | February 23, 1950 | Small chance to collide with Earth in 2880 (1 in 2,600 or 0.039%)[26] |
| 69230 Hermes | 0.3 | October 28, 1937 | Named but not numbered until its recovery in 2003 (65 years later) |
| 99942 Apophis | 0.3 | June 19, 2004 | First asteroid to rank greater than one on theTorino Scale (it was ranked at 2, then 4; now down to 0). Previously better known by itsprovisional designation 2004 MN4. |
| 152830 Dinkinesh I Selam | 0.22 | November 1, 2023 | First satellite discovered to be a contact-binary |
| (433953) 1997 XR2 | 0.23 | December 4, 1997 | First asteroid to rank greater than zero on the impact-riskTorino Scale (it was ranked 1; now at 0) |
| 1998 KY26 | 0.030 | June 2, 1998 | Approached within 800,000 km of Earth |
| 2002 AA29 | 0.1 | January 9, 2002 | Unusual Earth-associated orbit |
| 2004 FH | 0.030 | March 15, 2004 | Discovered before it approached within 43,000 km of Earth on March 18, 2004. |
| 2008 TC3 | ~0.003 | October 6, 2008 | First Earth-impactor to be spottedbefore impact (on October 7, 2008) |
| (706765) 2010 TK7 | ~0.3 | October 2010 | FirstEarth trojan to be discovered |
| 2014 RC | ~0.017 | September 1, 2014 | Asteroid with fastest rotation: 16.2 seconds |
| Name | Cometary name | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 2060 Chiron | 95P/Chiron | Firstcentaur discovered in 1977, later identified to exhibit cometary behaviour. Also one of two minor planets (excludingdwarf planets) known to have aring system |
| 4015 Wilson–Harrington | 107P/Wilson–Harrington | In 1992, it was realized that asteroid 1979 VA's orbit matched it with the positions of the lost comet Wilson–Harrington (1949 III) |
| 7968 Elst–Pizarro | 133P/Elst–Pizarro | Discovered in 1996 as a comet, but orbitally matched to asteroid1979 OW7 |
| 60558 Echeclus | 174P/Echeclus | Centaur discovered in 2000, comet designation assigned in 2006 |
| 118401 LINEAR | 176P/LINEAR (LINEAR 52) | Main-belt comet–asteroid discovered to have acoma on November 26, 2005 |
The above table lists only numbered asteroids that are also comets. Note there are several cases where a non-numbered minor planets turned out to be acomet, e.g.C/2001 OG108 (LONEOS), which was provisionally designated2001 OG108.
In earlier times, before the modern numbering and naming rules were in effect, asteroids were sometimes given numbers and names before their orbits were precisely known. And in a few cases duplicate names were given to the same object (with modern use of computers to calculate and compare orbits with old recorded positions, this type of error no longer occurs). This led to a few cases where asteroids had to be renamed.[27]
| Minor planet name | Description |
|---|---|
| 330 Adalberta | An object discovered March 18, 1892, byMax Wolf with provisional designation "1892 X" was named330 Adalberta, but was lost and never recovered. In 1982 it was determined that the observations leading to the designation of 1892 X were stars, and the object never existed. The name and number 330 Adalberta was then reused for another asteroid discovered by Max Wolf on February 2, 1910, which had the provisional designation A910 CB. |
| 525 Adelaide and1171 Rusthawelia | The object A904 EB discovered March 14, 1904, byMax Wolf was named525 Adelaide and was subsequently lost. Later, the object1930 TA discovered October 3, 1930, bySylvain Arend was named1171 Rusthawelia. In those pre-computer days, it was not realized until 1958 that these were one and the same object. The name Rusthawelia was kept (and discovery credited to Arend); the name 525 Adelaide was reused for the object 1908 EKa discovered October 21, 1908, byJoel Hastings Metcalf. |
| 715 Transvaalia and933 Susi | The object 1911 LX discovered April 22, 1911, byH. E. Wood was named715 Transvaalia. On April 23, 1920, the object 1920 GZ was discovered and named933 Susi. In 1928 it was realized that these were one and the same object. The name Transvaalia was kept, and the name and number 933 Susi was reused for the object 1927 CH discovered February 10, 1927, byKarl Reinmuth. |
| 864 Aase and1078 Mentha | The object A917 CB discovered February 13, 1917, byMax Wolf was named864 Aase, and the object 1926 XB discovered December 7, 1926, byKarl Reinmuth was named1078 Mentha. In 1958 it was discovered that these were one and the same object. In 1974, this was resolved by keeping the name 1078 Mentha and reusing the name and number864 Aase for the object1921 KE, discovered September 30, 1921, byKarl Reinmuth. |
| 1095 Tulipa and1449 Virtanen | The object 1928 DC discovered February 24, 1928, byKarl Reinmuth was named1095 Tulipa, and the object 1938 DO discovered February 20, 1938, byYrjö Väisälä was named1449 Virtanen. In 1966 it was discovered that these were one and the same object. The name 1449 Virtanen was kept and the name and number 1095 Tulipa was reused for the object 1926 GS discovered April 14, 1926, byKarl Reinmuth. |
| 1125 China and3789 Zhongguo | The object 1928 UF discovered October 25, 1928, byZhang Yuzhe (Y. C. Chang) was named1125 China, and was later lost. Later, the object1957 UN1 was discovered on October 30, 1957, atPurple Mountain Observatory and was initially incorrectly believed to be the rediscovery of the object 1928 UF. The name and number 1125 China were then reused for the object1957 UN1, and 1928 UF remained lost. In 1986, the object1986 QK1 was discovered and proved to be the real rediscovery of 1928 UF. This object was given the new number and name3789 Zhongguo. NoteZhongguo is theMandarin Chinese word for "China", inpinyin transliteration. |
| Asteroid 1317 and787 Moskva | The object 1914 UQ discovered April 20, 1914, byG. N. Neujmin was named787 Moskva (and retains that name to this day). The object 1934 FD discovered on March 19, 1934, byC. Jackson was given the sequence number 1317. In 1938, G. N. Neujmin found that asteroid 1317 and 787 Moskva were one and the same object. The sequence number 1317 was later reused for the object 1935 RC discovered on September 1, 1935, byKarl Reinmuth; that object is now known as1317 Silvretta. |
Asteroids were originally named after female mythological figures. Over time the rules loosened.
First asteroid with non-Classical and non-Latinized name:64 Angelina (in honor of a research station)
First asteroid with a non-feminine name:139 Juewa (ambiguous) or141 Lumen
First asteroid with a non-feminized man's name:433 Eros
Lowest-numbered unnamed asteroid (As of 2024[update]):(4596) 1981 QB
Many landmark numbers had specially chosen names for asteroids, and there was some debate about whether Pluto should have received number 10000, for example. This list includes some non-asteroids.
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