Meanings of minor planet names: 117001–118000
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]
117001–117100
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 117020 Janeconlin | 2004 JC10 | Jane Conlin (born 1946), an American activist and humanitarian who has sponsored several of the original Sudanese lost boys. She also works as a group leader for Citizens Climate Lobby in Arizona. | JPL · 117020 |
| 117032 Davidlane | 2004 JN20 | David Lane (born 1963), a Canadian amateur astronomer, supernova hunter, and author of The Earth Centered Universe (a planetarium and telescope-control program) | JPL · 117032 |
| 117086 Lóczy | 2004 LZ23 | Lajos Lóczy (1849–1920), a Hungarian geologist, first western geologist to describe the structure, geomorphology and stratigraphy of the mountain chains bordering the Tibetan Plateau | JPL · 117086 |
| 117093 Umbria | 2004 NE9 | The Italian region of Umbria is characterized by rolling green hills and medieval cities rich in history and traditions. | JPL · 117093 |
117101–117200
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 117156 Altschwendt | 2004 QV7 | The Austrian village of Altschwendt, where the Altschwendt Observatory (A44) is located. It was the first made minor-planet discovery at the observatory. | JPL · 117156 |
117201–117300
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 117240 Zhytomyr | 2004 SX19 | Zhytomyr, Ukraine, the oblast in which Andrushivka, the discovery site, is found, and the birthplace of Sergej Korolev, Russian rocket engineer | JPL · 117240 |
117301–117400
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 117329 Spencer | 2004 XJ6 | Henry Spencer (born 1955), Canadian computer scientist and small-satellite engineer | JPL · 117329 |
| 117350 Saburo | 2004 XL62 | Saburo Itagaki (1916–1983), father of Japanese amateur astronomer Koichi Itagaki who discovered this minor planet | JPL · 117350 |
| 117381 Lindaweiland | 2004 YU | Linda Weiland, American zoning administrator of Cochise County, Arizona, who has campaigned against light pollution | JPL · 117381 |
| 117384 Halharrison | 2004 YD16 | Hal Harrison (born 1947) is an amateur astronomer and photographer and has always been fascinated by planetary science and astronomy. | JPL · 117384 |
| 117386 Thomasschlapkohl | 2004 YV20 | Thomas Schlapkohl (born 1987) is a guidance, navigation and control engineer at Lockheed Martin for the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample-return mission. | JPL · 117386 |
| 117387 Javiercerna | 2004 YP21 | Javier Cerna (born 1981), a Telecom engineer for the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample-return mission. He was also a Telecom engineer on the GRAIL Discovery program and InSight Mars-lander. | JPL · 117387 |
| 117388 Jamiemoore | 2004 YB23 | Jamie Moore (born 1986), a flight system contamination control engineer and spacecraft-curation interface at Lockheed Martin for the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample-return mission. She has supported multiple NASA interplanetary missions helping to ensure that contamination control requirements are met. | JPL · 117388 |
| 117390 Stephanegendron | 2004 YK26 | Stéphane Gendron (born 1963) is Materials and Thermal Engineer at the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and he acted as the CSA Thermal Engineer in the project OLA, a sophisticated Lidar instrument provided by CSA for the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample-return mission. | JPL · 117390 |
117401–117500
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 117406 Blasgámez | 2005 AF10 | Blas Gámez Ortiz (1966–2017), a decorated officer of the Spanish National Police Corps, who was killed in the line of duty. | IAU · 117406 |
| 117413 Ramonycajal | 2005 AE13 | Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852–1934), Spanish physician and Nobel laureate | JPL · 117413 |
| 117430 Achosyx | 2005 AQ26 | "Achosyx", (French pronunciation of "H-O-6"), is the IAU observatory code (H06) of the discovering Rent-A-Scope Observatory (Remote Astronomy Society Observatory) located in Mayhill, New Mexico. | JPL · 117430 |
| 117435 Severochoa | 2005 AJ29 | Severo Ochoa (1905–1993), Spanish-born American biochemist and winner of the 1959 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine | JPL · 117435 |
| 117439 Rosner | 2005 AR36 | Arnie and Nancy Rosner, American photographers from Fountain Valley, California. Arnie is an astrophotographer; and Nancy is a travel photographer. | JPL · 117439 |
117501–117600
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 117506 Wildberg | 2005 CO25 | The German town of Wildberg, where the Wildberg Observatory (198) is located | JPL · 117506 |
| 117539 Celletti | 2005 DJ1 | Alessandra Celletti (born 1962), Italian mathematician who teaches celestial mechanics at University of Rome Tor Vergata | JPL · 117539 |
| 117562 Jeffreyferguson | 2005 EB25 | Jeffrey Ferguson (b. 1964), an American physician. | IAU · 117562 |
| 117563 Hollyoscarson | 2005 EK25 | Holly Oscarson (b. 1985), an American surgical assistant. | IAU · 117563 |
| 117565 Alanstrauss | 2005 EN29 | Alan Strauss (b. 1969), an American educator. | IAU · 117565 |
| 117568 Yadame | 2005 EK30 | Yadame Yoshikazu (born 1943), a farmer in the Kitami region of Hokkaido, founded the Kitami Astronomical Society in 1963 | JPL · 117568 |
| 117569 Rileyharris | 2005 EO32 | Riley Harris (b. 1942), an American educator. | IAU · 117569 |
| 117572 Hutsebaut | 2005 EX33 | Robert Hutsebaut (born 1941), Belgian amateur astronomer and a discoverer of minor planets | JPL · 117572 |
| 117581 Devinschrader | 2005 EG37 | Devin Schrader (born 1984) is a meteoriticist and cosmochemist, and is an assistant director of the Center for Meteorite Studies at Arizona State University and a science collaborator with the Carbonaceous Meteorite Working Group for the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample-return mission. | JPL · 117581 |
| 117582 Kenjikawai | 2005 ED39 | Kenji Kawai (born 1957) is a Japanese composer, musician, and conductor who has written music for numerous movies, television programs and video games. | JPL · 117582 |
| 117586 Twilatho | 2005 EV43 | Twila Gore Peck (born 1949) and Thom Peck (born 1950), American astronomy communicators. Thom has been president of astronomy clubs in several cities, while Twila has organized observing sessions and public astronomy events. | JPL · 117586 |
| 117595 Jemmadavidson | 2005 EG62 | Jemma Davidson (born 1984) is a cosmochemist and meteoriticist specializing in the study of presolar grains and pristine chondrites to determine how minor bodies formed and evolved in the early Solar System. She was previously a Science Team collaborator and webmaster for the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample-return mission. | JPL · 117595 |
| 117596 Richardkuhns | 2005 EK64 | Richard Kuhns (born 1972), manager with the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample-return mission for the Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. Previously he was the avionics manager for the WorldView-4 (GeoEye-2) spacecraft, and a manager for Lockheed Martin Coherent Technologies. His experience includes work in machine vision and adaptive optics. | JPL · 117596 |
117601–117700
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 117610 Keithmahoney | 2005 ES91 | Keith Mahoney (born 1970) was the flight system Guidance, Navigation, and Control LIDAR engineer at Lockheed Martin for the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample-return mission. | JPL · 117610 |
| 117614 Hannahmclain | 2005 EU94 | Hannah McLain (born 1985) is an astrobiologist at the Goddard Space Flight Center supporting organic contamination analysis for the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample-return mission. | JPL · 117614 |
| 117640 Millsellie | 2005 EK137 | Amelia Lucas (born 2014) and Eloise Thornton (born 2014) were born during the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample-return mission. Mills, daughter of Kristen and Scott Lucas, and Ellie, daughter of Jennifer and Kevin Thornton, enjoy exploring new frontiers, hearing about the universe, and looking at stars with their grandparents Thomas and Karen Connors. | JPL · 117640 |
| 117652 Joséaponte | 2005 EY161 | José Aponte (born 1981) is an astrobiologist at the Goddard Space Flight Center for the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample-return mission. His research emphasis is in organic chemistry in meteorites. | JPL · 117652 |
| 117657 Jamieelsila | 2005 EP187 | Jamie Elsila (born 1974) is an astrobiologist at the Goddard Space Flight Center for the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample-return mission. Her research emphasis is in organic chemistry in meteorites and in spacecraft-returned samples from asteroids and comets. | JPL · 117657 |
117701–117800
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 117703 Ochoa | 2005 EK300 | Ellen Ochoa (born 1958) is a former American Astronaut. In 1993, she was the first Hispanic woman to go to space. She flew four space shuttle missions, logged nearly 1000 hours in space, and became Director of the Johnson Space Center. | JPL · 117703 |
| 117704 Lopez-Alegria | 2005 EN317 | Michael Lopez-Alegria (born 1958) is a retired astronaut who flew on four NASA missions aboard the Space Shuttle, the Soyuz spacecraft and the International Space Station. He performed ten spacewalks over his 257 days in space. While in space, he performed experiments on materials, biotechnology and combustion. | JPL · 117704 |
| 117711 Degenfeld | 2005 GA | Berta Degenfeld-Schomburg (1843–1928), Hungarian amateur astronomer who took part in the work of the Kiskartal Observatory | JPL · 117711 |
| 117712 Podmaniczky | 2005 GD | Baron Géza Podmaniczky (1839–1923), Hungarian landowner and amateur astronomer | JPL · 117712 |
| 117713 Kövesligethy | 2005 GG1 | Radó Kövesligethy (1862–1924), Hungarian astronomer and geophysicist | JPL · 117713 |
| 117714 Kiskartal | 2005 GH1 | Kiskartal Observatory was founded by Baron Géza Podmaniczky (see above) in 1884 | JPL · 117714 |
| 117715 Carlkirby | 2005 GK1 | Carl Kirby (born 1949), American amateur astronomer | JPL · 117715 |
| 117736 Sherrod | 2005 GQ22 | Clay Sherrod (born 1949), American archaeologist, biomedical researcher, founder and director of the Arkansas Sky Observatory (H45) | JPL · 117736 |
| 117781 Jamesfisher | 2005 GF115 | James Randall Fisher (born 1942), an author and Professor of English who earned a PhD at the University of Southern California | JPL · 117781 |
117801–117900
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 117852 Constance | 2005 JG151 | Constance L. Martin-Trembley (born 1962) has been a beloved and inspirational science teacher for over a decade. Connie has organized educational trips, run an after school book club and science club, and has a passion for astronomy. She was awarded Teacher of the year for her district in 2007. | JPL · 117852 |
| 117874 Picodelteide | 2511 P-L | Pico del Teide, active volcano on Tenerife, one of the Spanish Canary Islands. | JPL · 117874 |
117901–118000
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 117993 Zambujal | 1064 T-2 | Zambujal, Portugal, chalcolithic archaeological site | JPL · 117993 |
| 117997 Irazú | 1090 T-2 | Irazú, the 3432-m active volcano in Costa Rica. | JPL · 117997 |
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.