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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50033 Perelman | 2000 AF48 | Grigori Perelman (born 1966), Russian mathematician | JPL · 50033 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50240 Cortina | 2000 BY3 | Cortina d'Ampezzo, holiday resort in the Dolomites, Italy, host to the 1956 Winter Olympics, and near to theCol Drusciè Observatory | JPL · 50240 |
| 50250 Daveharrington | 2000 BW22 | David L. Harrington (born 1939) is a retired automobile engineer. | JPL · 50250 |
| 50251 Iorg | 2000 BY22 | Caroll Iorg (born 1946), a most enthusiastic amateur astronomer having been President of the Astronomical League (2010–2014) and currently serving as Media Officer. | JPL · 50251 |
| 50252 Dianahannikainen | 2000 BE23 | Diana Hannikainen (born 1967), Finnish-American astronomer. | JPL · 50252 |
| 50275 Marcocasalini | 2000 CU1 | Marco Casalini (b. 1966), an Italian amateur astronomer. | IAU · 50275 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50412 Ewen | 2000 DG1 | Harry Ewen (born 1957), a Canadian amateur astronomer | MPC · 50412 |
| 50413 Petrginz | 2000 DQ1 | Petr Ginz (1928–1944), Czech-Jewish boy who editedVedem, a secret magazine, in the Terezín ghetto during World War II | MPC · 50413 |
| 50428 Alexanderdessler | 2000 DZ15 | Alexander J. Dessler (1928–2023) is a space physicist who shaped understanding of how charged particles interact with magnetic fields of Solar System objects. He first defined the existence and characteristics of theheliosphere, confirmed when Voyager 1 crossed theheliopause | JPL · 50428 |
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50537 Emilianobiscardi | 2000 EH14 | Emiliano Biscardi (b. 1980), an Italian amateur astronomer. | IAU · 50537 |
| 50553 Dilles | 2000 EL21 | Shawn Dilles (b. 1960), the Assistant Coordinator for the Publications Section of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO) and Editor of The Strolling Astronomer, the journal of ALPO. He is also an author and historian living in Virginia. | IAU · 50553 |
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50687 Paultemple | 2000 EC117 | Paul Temple, pastor and amateur astronomer inDeming, New Mexico | JPL · 50687 |
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50717 Jimfox | 2000 EN138 | Jim Fox (born 1945) started in astronomy in the 1950s with a "Junior Moon-Watch Team". He is the founder of what became the Minnesota Astronomical Society as well as a past President of the Astronomical League (1990–94). He was awarded the 2014 Leslie C. Peltier Award from the AAVSO. | JPL · 50717 |
| 50718 Timrobertson | 2000 ED139 | Tim Robertson (born 1956) is a Quality Engineer at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, with the GOES and JPSS weather satellite programs. On staff with the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO), he is Coordinator for the ALPO Training Program as well as Producer of the "Observer's Notebook" podcasts. | JPL · 50718 |
| 50719 Elizabethgriffin | 2000 EG140 | Elizabeth Griffin (born 1942) is a Canadian astronomer specializing in the spectroscopic study of binary stars. She has been a staunch advocate globally for the digitization and preservation of photographic plates and using legacy science data of all kinds. | JPL · 50719 |
| 50721 Waynebailey | 2000 EU141 | Wayne Bailey (born 1942) worked in the aerospace industry supporting the Space Shuttle Spacelab program. He became the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO) Lunar Coordinator in 2008 and in 2017 was the recipient of the ALPO Peggy Haas Service Award. | JPL · 50721 |
| 50722 Sherlin | 2000 EW141 | Jerry Sherlin (1944–2018) was a meteorologist for the U.S. Air Force specializing in space weather as a research assistant at Sacramento Peak Solar Observatory. He was also the 22nd President of the Astronomical League and very well known in astronomy, being a member of many professional and amateur organizations. | JPL · 50722 |
| 50723 Beckley | 2000 EG143 | Elizabeth Beckley (c. 1846–1927) was the first observer with the new photoheliograph at theKew Observatory, London. In the 1860s, and continued for over a decade, she was using the labor-intensive ‘wet collodion’ process in solar photography for the first time. | IAU · 50723 |
| 50724 Elizabethbrown | 2000 EK145 | Elizabeth Brown (1830-1899), English astronomer, founding member of theBritish Astronomical Association and first director of the group's Solar Section | IAU · 50724 |
| 50725 Margarethuggins | 2000 EH146 | Margaret Lindsay Huggins (1848-1915), pioneered photonic spectrography alongside her husband,William | IAU · 50725 |
| 50726 Anniemaunder | 2000 EH147 | Annie S. D. Maunder (1868-1947), Irish-English astronomer with theGreenwich Observatory, developed the butterfly diagram for solar cycles alongside husbandE. Walter | IAU · 50726 |
| 50727 Aliceverett | 2000 EO147 | Alice Everett (1865–1949), a Scottish astronomer and engineer. | IAU · 50727 |
| 50728 Catherinestevens | 2000 ED148 | Catherine Octavia Stevens (1865–1959), a British amateur astronomer. | IAU · 50728 |
| 50729 Fiammetta | 2000 ET148 | Fiammetta Wilson (1864–1920), a prolific and dedicated meteor observer and amateur researcher with the British Astronomical Association. | IAU · 50729 |
| 50739 Gracecook | 2000 EY156 | A. Grace Cook (1877-1958), British astronomer and Fellow of theRoyal Astronomical Society. A skilled observer, she viewed the 1914transit of Mercury from her observatory. | IAU · 50739 |
| 50753 Maryblagg | 2000 EO177 | Mary Adela Blagg (1858-1944), English astronomer and Fellow of theRoyal Astronomical Society. As a member of theBritish Astronomical Association, she helped create a standardizednomenclature for lunar formations. | IAU · 50753 |
| 50768 Ianwessen | 2000 FW2 | Ian Remington Wessen (born 1992) has excelled as an honor student in high school, spent two summers learning the Russian language and six weeks working for the Europa Jupiter System Mission team | JPL · 50768 |
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50855 Williamschultz | 2000 FK55 | William Schultz Jr. (1904–1975) was with the Cranbrook school system in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan from 1930 to 1969. A man of many interests (astronomy, mineralogy, ham radio), he refurbished the Cranbrook (now Hulbert) Observatory. He built their first planetarium, becoming the first Resident Astronomer. | IAU · 50855 |
| 50866 Davidesprizzi | 2000 GX3 | Davide Sprizzi (born 2013), the son of the discoverer's daughter. | JPL · 50866 |
| 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: 50,001–51,000 | Succeeded by |
