Meanings of minor planet names: 58001–59000
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]
58001–58100[edit]
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 58084 Hiketaon | 1197 T-3 | Hiketaon, one of the elders of Troy, counselors to Priam; the son of Laomedon, he suggested Helen be returned to Menelaus to avoid the Trojan war | JPL · 58084 |
| 58095 Oranienstein | 1973 SN | Oranienstein, a baroque castle on the Lahn river near Diez, Germany | JPL · 58095 |
| 58096 Oineus | 1973 SC2 | Oeneus, king of Calydonia, son of Porthaon, who sent Meleager out to find heroes to kill the Calydonian Boar; his grandson Diomedes avoided fighting Glaukos because of the friendship between Oeneus and Glaukos' grandfather Bellerophon | JPL · 58096 |
| 58097 Alimov | 1976 UQ1 | Alexandr Fyodorovich Alimov, Russian founder of the school of functional ecology and president of the Hydrobiological Society | JPL · 58097 |
| 58098 Quirrenbach | 1977 TC | Andreas Quirrenbach, German astronomer, director of the Landessternwarte Heidelberg-Königstuhl (Königstuhl Observatory) since 2006 | JPL · 58098 |
58101–58200[edit]
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 58145 Gus | 1986 PT1 | Description available (see ref). Please summarize in your own words. | IAU · 58145 |
| 58152 Natsöderblom | 1988 PF2 | Nathan Söderblom (Lars Olof Jonathan Söderblom), Swedish archbishop, theologian and Peace Nobelist | JPL · 58152 |
| 58163 Minnesang | 1989 UJ7 | Minnesang, German sung poetry of the 12th and 13th centuries | JPL · 58163 |
| 58164 Reiwanohoshi | 1989 WV3 | Following the April 2019 abdication of Japan's Heisei Emperor, the new Reiwa Era began. As "Reiwa" means peace and harmony, "Reiwanohoshi" ("the star of Reiwa") is named to symbolize Japan going into a new peaceful era, free of natural disasters. | IAU · 58164 |
| 58184 Masayukiyamamoto | 1991 RG1 | Masayuki Yamamoto (born 1971), a Japanese planetary scientist. | JPL · 58184 |
| 58185 Rokkosan | 1991 RH1 | Rokkosan is a 1000-meter-high mountain behind the city of Kobe, Japan | JPL · 58185 |
| 58186 Langkavel | 1991 RT4 | Arno Langkavel (born 1938), a former high school teacher and historian of astronomy. | JPL · 58186 |
| 58191 Dolomiten | 1991 YN1 | The Dolomites mountains (Dolomiten is the Swiss-German name) | JPL · 58191 |
| 58196 Ashleyess | 1992 EC1 | Ashley Caroline Steel, the discoverer's youngest sister | JPL · 58196 |
58201–58300[edit]
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 58214 Amorim | 1992 RA2 | Regina Helena Caldas de Amorim, Brazilian neuro-pediatrician at Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais) | JPL · 58214 |
| 58215 von Klitzing | 1992 SY1 | Klaus von Klitzing, German physicist and Nobelist | JPL · 58215 |
| 58217 Peterhebel | 1992 SP16 | Peter Hebel (born 1957) is a most interested amateur astronomer, but as a doctor of medicine his chief occupation is that of an operating surgeon at the Medical University of Graz, Austria, where he has saved and improved the life of many patients. | JPL · 58217 |
| 58221 Boston | 1993 BM14 | Boston, founded in 1630 by Puritan settlers from England, is the capital and largest city of the American state of Massachusetts. | JPL · 58221 |
| 58279 Kamerlingh | 1993 TE40 | Heike Kamerlingh Onnes, 19th–20th-century Dutch physicist, who first liquefied helium | JPL · 58279 |
58301–58400[edit]
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 58345 Moomintroll | 1995 CZ1 | Moomintroll is the central character of the classic 1946 novel Comet in Moominland (Swedish title Kometjakten) by Finnish author Tove Jansson | JPL · 58345 |
| 58364 Feierberg | 1995 MF7 | Michael Feierberg, American astronomer, who was involved in the early work connecting C-class minor planets to carbonaceous chondrites | JPL · 58364 |
| 58365 Robmedrano | 1995 OQ | Technical Sergeant Rob Medrano, of the Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing (AMOS) observatory | JPL · 58365 |
| 58373 Albertoalonso | 1995 SR | Alberto Alonso, the legendary Cuban choreographer and dance visionary | JPL · 58373 |
58401–58500[edit]
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 58417 Belzoni | 1996 BD2 | Giovanni Battista Belzoni, an explorer of Egyptian antiquities. | JPL · 58417 |
| 58418 Luguhu | 1996 BA4 | Luguhu Lake is situated at the junction of southwestern Sichuan and northwestern Yunnan | JPL · 58418 |
| 58424 Jamesdunlop | 1996 DL1 | James Dunlop, Scottish-Australian astronomer | JPL · 58424 |
| 58440 Zdeněkstuchlík | 1996 HV | Zdeněk Stuchlík (born 1950) is a Czech theoretical physicist and astrophysicist, fine art photographer and professor at the Silesian University in Opava. His field of research is relativistic astrophysics and cosmology, in particular with focus on compact objects like black holes and neutron stars. | JPL · 58440 |
| 58441 Thomastestoni | 1996 HO1 | Thomas Testoni (born 1984) is a tourist services technician and a computer store manager. He is the son-in-law of one of the co-discoverers of this minor planet. | IAU · 58441 |
| 58460 Le Mouélic | 1996 LM1 | Stephane Le Mouélic, a research engineer at the University of Nantes. | JPL · 58460 |
| 58466 Santoka | 1996 OB1 | Santoka Taneda, the Japanese "Wandering Haiku Poet" | JPL · 58466 |
| 58495 Hajin | 1996 US1 | Ha Jin is the pen name of Xuefei Jin (born 1956), a Chinese-American writer, poet and essayist. His 1999 novel Waiting received the National Book Award for Fiction and the PEN/Faulkner Award. He currently teaches at Boston University (MA). | IAU · 58495 |
| 58498 Octaviopaz | 1996 VF | Octavio Paz Lozano (1914–1998) was a Mexican poet and essayist, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1990. | JPL · 58498 |
| 58499 Stüber | 1996 VY | Eberhard Stüber, Austrian director of the natural science museum "Haus der Natur" in Salzburg | JPL · 58499 |
58501–58600[edit]
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 58534 Logos | 1997 CQ29 | Logos and Zoe ((58534) Logos I Zoe), a paired emanation of the deity in the Gnostic tradition, and part of its creation myth | JPL · 58534 |
| 58535 Pattillo | 1997 DP | Leonard Pattillo, American founding member and former officer of the Fort Bend Astronomy Club | JPL · 58535 |
| 58569 Eboshiyamakouen | 1997 QY2 | Eboshiyama Kouen, the name of the park in the southern part of Nanyo city, Yamagata. | JPL · 58569 |
| 58572 Romanella | 1997 RV6 | Russell Romanella (born 1958) is an experienced space engineer involved in human space exploration activities such as the Space Shuttle, International Space Station and Constellation projects | JPL · 58572 |
| 58573 Serpieri | 1997 RD7 | Arrigo Serpieri, Italian agricultural economist | JPL · 58573 |
| 58578 Žídek | 1997 SP2 | Ivo Žídek, Czech opera singer † | MPC · 58578 |
| 58579 Ehrenberg | 1997 SQ2 | Eleonora Gayerová z Ehrenberku (Eleonora Gayerová of Ehrenberg), Czech soprano opera singer, who lived in Vila Leonora at Ondřejov and was instrumental in the establishment of the Ondřejov Observatory † ‡ | MPC · 58579 |
| 58580 Elenacuoghi | 1997 SW2 | Elena Cuoghi (born 1990) is a European Languages and Cultures graduate of the University of Modena. She is the daughter-in-law of the discoverer of this minor planet. | IAU · 58580 |
| 58595 Joepollock | 1997 TX9 | Joseph T. Pollock (born 1950), a professor of astronomy at the Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina. | JPL · 58595 |
| 58600 Iwamuroonsen | 1997 TC17 | Iwamuroonsen is a town of the southwest of Niigata City JPL | MPC · 58600 |
58601–58700[edit]
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 58605 Liutungsheng | 1997 TA27 | Liu Tungsheng, Chinese Earth scientist and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences | JPL · 58605 |
| 58607 Wenzel | 1997 UL | Wolfgang Wenzel, German astronomer † | MPC · 58607 |
| 58608 Geroldrichter | 1997 UY | Gerold A. Richter, German astronomer † | MPC · 58608 |
| 58622 Setoguchi | 1997 VU | Takashi Setoguchi (born 1961) is a member of the Oriental Astronomical Association. | JPL · 58622 |
| 58627 Rieko | 1997 VG5 | Rieko is married to the discoverer. | JPL · 58627 |
| 58664 IYAMMIX | 1997 YA1 | The International Year of Astronomy (IYA 2009) is a global effort initiated by the IAU and UNESCO to stimulate worldwide interest in astronomy under the central theme "The Universe, Yours to Discover" | JPL · 58664 |
| 58671 Diplodocus | 1997 YC8 | one of the largest animals ever to walk on the earth, the Dashing Diplodocus is the premier quarterly publication of the Houston Museum of Natural Science. | JPL · 58671 |
| 58672 Remigio | 1997 YT8 | Scarfi Remigio, Italian geologist, mathematics teacher, and amateur astronomer | JPL · 58672 |
| 58679 Brenig | 1998 AH | Brenig, a part of Bornheim, is located near the Rhine river between Cologne and Bonn. | JPL · 58679 |
| 58682 Alenašolcová | 1998 AA11 | Alena Šolcová, Czech mathematician and historian of mathematics and astronomy | JPL · 58682 |
| 58691 Luigisannino | 1998 BG14 | Luigi Sannino (born 1981) is an Italian amateur astronomer, studying comets and asteroids. | IAU · 58691 |
58701–58800[edit]
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 58702 Tizianabitossi | 1998 BX43 | Tiziana Bitossi (b. 1970) has been an amateur astronomer at the Gruppo Astrofili Montelupo since 2017. | 7 · 58702 |
| 58707 Kyoshi | 1998 CS | Kyoshi Takahama, Japanese Haiku poet and novelist | JPL · 58707 |
| 58709 Zenocolò | 1998 CT2 | Zeno Colò, 20th-century Italian skier and Olympic gold medalist (Oslo Winter Games, 1952) | JPL · 58709 |
| 58714 Boya | 1998 DS2 | Description available (see ref). Please summarize in your own words. | IAU · 58714 |
58801–58900[edit]
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 58896 Schlosser | 1998 JE4 | Wolfhard Schlosser, professor at Bochum University from 1969 until his retirement in 2005 | JPL · 58896 |
58901–59000[edit]
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 58931 Palmys | 1998 MK47 | Palmys, a Trojan fighting for the relief of the city of Troy set off for the centre of the battlefield, with a group of other Trojans from Ascania. | JPL · 58931 |
| 58941 Guishida | 1998 QK29 | Description available (see ref). Please summarize in your own words. | IAU · 58941 |
| 59000 Beiguan | 1998 SW26 | Beijing Planetarium (Beijing Tianwenguan), on the occasion of its fiftieth anniversary year (2007) | JPL · 59000 |
References[edit]
- ^ "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.