Meanings of minor planet names: 378001–379000
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]
378001–378100
[edit]
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 378002 ʻAkialoa | 2006 RK112 | The ʻakialoa are a group of birds that were native to the Hawaiian Islands. They had a long, curved bill that took up one-third of their body length, and had yellow plumage. The ʻakialoa are now extinct on O`ahu and Maui, and likely on Kaua`i. | JPL · 378002 |
| 378076 Campani | 2006 UQ64 | Giuseppe Campani (c.1636–1715) was an Italian astronomer and telescope maker. | IAU · 378076 |
378101–378200
[edit]
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| There are no named minor planets in this number range | |||
378201–378300
[edit]
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 378204 Bettyhesser | 2006 YF49 | Betty Hinsdale Hesser (born 1938), passionately curious about, and gifted in languages, music and science, generously shares in an easily accessible manner her extensive knowledge, particularly about astronomy and reptiles, with people of all ages to address common misunderstandings and stimulate broader comprehension of nature. | JPL · 378204 |
| 378214 Sauron | 2007 AP11 | Sauron is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. He created the One Ring to rule the rings of power. Due to Sauron's war-like nature, a Mars-crossing minor planet was chosen to receive his name. | JPL · 378214 |
378301–378400
[edit]
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 378370 Orton | 2007 ON5 | Glenn S. Orton (born 1948) is a senior research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and principal investigator of atmospheric structures of both Jupiter and Saturn. He is a member of the American Astronomical Society and the IAU, as well as the American and European Geophysical Unions. | JPL · 378370 |
378401–378500
[edit]
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| There are no named minor planets in this number range | |||
378501–378600
[edit]
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| There are no named minor planets in this number range | |||
378601–378700
[edit]
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 378669 Rivas | 2008 HO4 | Marc Rivas (born 1942), a French amateur astronomer. | JPL · 378669 |
378701–378800
[edit]
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 378721 Thizy | 2008 QP14 | Olivier Thizy (born 1966), a French engineer. | JPL · 378721 |
378801–378900
[edit]
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| There are no named minor planets in this number range | |||
378901–379000
[edit]
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 378917 Stefankarge | 2008 UP91 | Stefan Karge (born 1963), a German amateur astronomer and discoverer of minor planets | JPL · 378917 |
| 378920 Vassimre | 2008 UP95 | Imre Vass (1795–1863) was a Hungarian geodesist, cartographer and speleologist, known for exploring the Baradla cave. | IAU · 378920 |
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.