Meanings of minor-planet names: 211001–212000

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Meanings of minor-planet names: 211001–212000

When a minor planet’s discovery is confirmed, it receives a permanent number from the IAU’s Minor Planet Center (MPC). The discoverer can then suggest a name, following the IAU’s naming rules. This article explains the meanings behind the names of the numbered minor planets in the 211001–212000 range that have received names.

Official naming citations are approved by the IAU’s Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature (WGSBN) and published in its bulletin. Before May 2021, citations appeared in MPC’s Minor Planet Circulars for many years; newer citations are also listed in the JPL Small-Body Database (SBDB). German astronomer Lutz D. Schmadel compiled these citations into the Dictionary of Minor Planet Names (DMP) up to his death in 2016, and he based much of his work on Paul Herget’s The Names of the Minor Planets to research the origins of many asteroid names, especially those named before World War II. This article includes text from that public-domain source.

New namings may be added only after official publication; pre-announcements are not allowed. The WGSBN provides a comprehensive guide to the naming rules for non-cometary small Solar System bodies.