Meanings of minor-planet names: 46001–47000

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]

46001–46100

Named minor planet	Provisional	This minor planet was named for...	Ref · Catalog
46053 Davidpatterson	2001 DB₇₇	David Patterson, American amateur astronomer, founding member of the Huachuca Astronomy Club in Arizona.	MPC · 46053
46076 Robertschottland	2001 EH₄	Robert Schottland (born 1948) is a software and database developer who has made significant contributions to projects at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, AZ. These projects include observational programs to study near-Earth asteroids and meteors, and Lowell's "astorb" database of minor planets.	IAU · 46076
46083 Aaronkingery	2001 ED₁₀	Aaron Kingery (born 1987) is an astronomer at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. He develops meteor observation hardware and meteor analysis software for NASA's meteor programs.	IAU · 46083
46095 Frédérickoby	2001 ER₂₅	Frédéric Édouard Koby (1890–1969), Swiss ophthalmologist and paleontologist, specialist on the cave bear. He is the son of Frédéric Louis Koby (1852–1930)	JPL · 46095

46101–46200

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Named minor planet	Provisional	This minor planet was named for...	Ref · Catalog
46110 Altheamoorhead	2001 FK₂₃	Althea Moorhead (born 1981) is a research astronomer at NASA. She helps to bridge the gap between meteor astronomy and engineering by characterizing meteoroid populations, modeling their dynamics, and developing software that can be used to predict impacts on spacecraft.	IAU · 46110

46201–46300

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Named minor planet	Provisional	This minor planet was named for...	Ref · Catalog
46208 Gicquel	2001 FB₁₆₀	Adeline Gicquel Brodtke (born 1985) is a French scientist, working as a researcher at the University of Maryland. She specializes in modeling gas and dust activity of comets.	IAU · 46208
46270 Margaretlandis	2001 HW₆₂	Margaret E. Landis (b. 1990), an American scientist.	IAU · 46270
46277 Jeffhall	2001 JH₇	Jeffrey C. Hall, director of Lowell Observatory	JPL · 46277
46280 Hollar	2001 KD₁₈	Václav Hollar, 17th-century Czech painter and graphic artist	JPL · 46280

46301–46400

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Named minor planet	Provisional	This minor planet was named for...	Ref · Catalog
46308 Joelsercel	2001 OZ₁₀₄	Joel C. Sercel (born 1960) is a leader in the development of technology to extract Lunar and asteroidal resources. He has had a long career in advanced engineering with JPL, the USAF, aerospace consulting, and teaching at Caltech.	IAU · 46308
46392 Bertola	2002 AO₆	Francesco Bertola (born 1937), Italian author, professor of astrophysics and director of the astronomy department at Padua University. His research includes expert in galactic structure and dynamics. He is also known for the discovery of the new class of type Ib supernovae	JPL · 46392

46401–46500

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Named minor planet	Provisional	This minor planet was named for...	Ref · Catalog
46441 Mikepenston	2002 LE₃₀	Michael Penston (1943–1990), a British observational astronomer at Royal Greenwich Observatory, who studied NGC 4151 and determined the mass of the central object. The name for this minor planet was proposed by Keith Tritton (see below).	JPL · 46441
46442 Keithtritton	2002 LK₃₅	Keith Tritton (born 1944), a British astronomer; the discoverers recently found his lost short-period comet D/1978 C1, now known as 157P/Tritton	JPL · 46442

46501–46600

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Named minor planet	Provisional	This minor planet was named for...	Ref · Catalog
46513 Ampzing	1972 FC	Samuel Ampzing, Dutch minister, poet and purist	JPL · 46513
46514 Lasswitz	1977 JA	Kurd Lasswitz, German philosopher and poet	JPL · 46514
46539 Viktortikhonov	1982 UE₁₂	Viktor Vasilyevich Tikhonov (1930–2014), an outstanding Soviet ice hockey player and coach.	JPL · 46539
46563 Oken	1991 RY₃	Lorenz Oken, German professor of medicine and Romantic natural philosopher, founder of the Gesellschaft Deutscher Naturforscher und Ärzte (Society of German Naturalists and Physicians)	JPL · 46563
46568 Stevenlee	1991 SL	Steven Lee, Australian astronomer, discoverer of comet C/1999 H1 (Lee)	JPL · 46568
46580 Ryouichiirie	1992 GC	Ryouichi Irie (born 1949), a Japanese amateur astronomer in Toyooka city, Hyogo prefecture, and an independent discoverer of C/1988 P1 (Machholz).	JPL · 46580
46592 Marinawatanabe	1992 YP	Marina Watanabe (1990–2019), together with her mother Yoshie, acted as a manager/producer for her father, Junichi Watanabe on his outreach activities in astronomy and planetary sciences.	JPL · 46592
46595 Kita-Kyushu	1992 YB₄	Kita-Kyushu, a city in Fukuoka prefecture, Japan	JPL · 46595
46596 Tobata	1993 BD	Tobata, a ward of Kita-Kyushu City in Fukuoka prefecture, Japan	JPL · 46596

46601–46700

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Named minor planet	Provisional	This minor planet was named for...	Ref · Catalog
46610 Bésixdouze	1993 TQ₁	The number 46610 translates to the hexadecimal B612 (the French "bé-six-douze" stands for "b-six-twelve"), the designation of the fictitious minor planet on which Saint-Exupéry's Little Prince lived	JPL · 46610
46632 RISE	1994 TN₁₅	The RISE (Research of Interior Structure and Evolution of solar system bodies) project of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan aims to elucidate the origin and evolution of the Moon, planets and their moons mainly through geodetic approaches by space missions.	JPL · 46632
46643 Yanase	1995 KM	Takashi Yanase, Japanese cartoonist	JPL · 46643
46644 Lagia	1995 OF	Livia "Lagia" Giacomini, Italian scientific journalist and astrophysicist	JPL · 46644
46669 Wangyongzhi	1996 LK	Wang Yongzhi, Chinese aerospace expert which was the first chief architect of China's crewed space flight	JPL · 46669
46686 Anitasohus	1997 AS₁₃	From 1974 to 2006, Anita Sohus (born 1951) undertook multiple roles on Voyager and Galileo in JPL's Outreach and Education Office, communicating NASA's science results to the science community and the public	JPL · 46686
46689 Hakuryuko	1997 AL₁₉	Hakuryuko is the name of the marsh located in the northeastern part of Akayu hot spring, Nanyo city, Yamagata.	JPL · 46689
46691 Ghezzi	1997 BK₃	Pierangelo Ghezzi (born 1956), an Italian amateur astronomer and discoverer of minor planets who is also an observer of variable stars.	IAU · 46691
46692 Taormina	1997 CW₁	Taormina, Sicily †	MPC · 46692

46701–46800

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Named minor planet	Provisional	This minor planet was named for...	Ref · Catalog
46701 Interrante	1997 CP₂₉	Giorgio Interrante (born 1969) an Italian amateur astronomer and member of the astrometry team at Beppe Forti Astronomical Observatory (K83) in Montelupo Fiorentino, Tuscany.	IAU · 46701
46702 Linapucci	1997 DX	Lina Pucci, mother of the first discoverer	JPL · 46702
46719 Plantade	1997 PJ	François de Plantade, French cartographer and astronomer, founder of the Société royale des sciences de Montpellier (Royal Society of Sciences of Montpellier)	JPL · 46719
46720 Pierostroppa	1997 PO₄	Piero Stroppa, Italian physics teacher and astronomy populariser, who worked for the magazine Nuovo Orione	JPL · 46720
46722 Ireneadler	1997 RA₁	Irene Adler, heroine of the Sherlock Holmes story A Scandal in Bohemia	JPL · 46722
46727 Hidekimatsuyama	1997 SN₂₅	Hideki Matsuyama (born 1970) became a member of the Nanyo Astronomical Lovers Club in 1990 and actively popularizes astronomy	JPL · 46727
46731 Prieurblanc	1997 TB₁₈	Pierre Prieur-Blanc, one of the three people involved in the construction of the Observatoire de Paris' coronagraphic station on Pic de Château-Renard at Saint-Véran in the Hautes-Alpes	JPL · 46731
46737 Anpanman	1997 VO	Anpanman, Takashi Yanase's cartoon hero, whose head is a bun filled with sweet bean jam	JPL · 46737
46748 Giusacayrel	1998 DN₂₃	Giusa Cayrel (1920–2012), the first woman astronomer appointed at Padova University, Italy.	IAU · 46748
46793 Phinney	1998 JP	Jeffrey L. Phinney, American astronomer	JPL · 46793
46796 Mamigasakigawa	1998 KU	Mamigasakigawa is the river that flows through the center of Yamagata City. It is a branch of the Mogami River	JPL · 46796

46801–46900

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Named minor planet	Provisional	This minor planet was named for...	Ref · Catalog
46824 Tambora	1998 MT₃₈	Mount Tambora on the island of Sumbawa (Indonesia) is an active volcano that exploded in April 1815. It was the most powerful eruption in recorded history, and resulted in a brief period of significant worldwide climate change, including the "Year without a Summer" (1816).	JPL · 46824
46829 McMahon	1998 OS₁₄	Jay W. McMahon (born 1982) has carried out fundamental research on the dynamics and evolutionary behavior of binary asteroids. His work has laid the foundation for a rigorous understanding of the Binary YORP effect and the determination of material parameters of binary asteroids based on remote observations.	JPL · 46829

46901–47000

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Named minor planet	Provisional	This minor planet was named for...	Ref · Catalog
46917 Rogercayrel	1998 SA	Roger Cayrel (1925–2021), a French astronomer.	IAU · 46917
46920 Suzanedwards	1998 SX₁₂	Suzan Edwards (born 1951) is the L. Clark Seelye Professor of Astronomy at Smith College. Edwards studies and has made significant contributions to the understanding of the formation of stars, the evolution of planet-forming disks, and the role played by disk- and stellar-driven winds during the early phases of stellar evolution.	JPL · 46920
46977 Krakow	1998 SE₁₄₄	Kraków, Poland	JPL · 46977
46991 Carolinesoubiran	1998 TU₁₇	Caroline Soubiran (b. 1962), a French astronomer.	IAU · 46991

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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.

Preceded by 45,001–46,000	Meanings of minor planet names List of minor planets: 46,001–47,000	Succeeded by 47,001–48,000

[WGSBN-Bulletin-Archive-1] "WGSBN Bulletin Archive". Working Group Small Body Nomenclature. 14 May 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2021.

[MPC-Circulars-Archive-2] "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 27 July 2016.

[JPL-Discovery-3] "JPL – Solar System Dynamics: Discovery Circumstances". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 25 June 2019.

[DoMPN-4] Schmadel, Lutz D. (2003). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3. Retrieved 27 July 2016.

[DoMPN-Addendum-5] 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-6] Herget, Paul (1968). The Names of the Minor Planets. Cincinnati, Ohio: Minor Planet Center, Cincinnati Observatory. OCLC 224288991.

[MPC-Preannouncement-7] "Guide to Minor Body Astrometry – When can I name my discovery?". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 20 July 2019.

[WGSBN-Naming-Guidelines-8] "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.

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