List of asteroids
Encyclopedia
This is a list of numbered minor planet
Minor planet
An asteroid group or minor-planet group is a population of minor planets that have a share broadly similar orbits. Members are generally unrelated to each other, unlike in an asteroid family, which often results from the break-up of a single asteroid...

s
in the solar system, in numerical order.

there are 306,374 numbered minor planets, and about as many yet unnumbered. Most are not particularly noteworthy; only some 16,000 minor planets have been given names (the first nameless minor planet being number 3708).

For a short list of notable asteroids, see list of notable asteroids, and for notable minor planets beyond Neptune
Neptune
Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun in the Solar System. Named for the Roman god of the sea, it is the fourth-largest planet by diameter and the third largest by mass. Neptune is 17 times the mass of Earth and is slightly more massive than its near-twin Uranus, which is 15 times...

's orbit, see trans-Neptunian object
Trans-Neptunian object
A trans-Neptunian object is any minor planet in the Solar System that orbits the Sun at a greater distance on average than Neptune.The first trans-Neptunian object to be discovered was Pluto in 1930...

 and list of plutoid candidates.

Five minor planets have been classified as dwarf planet
Dwarf planet
A dwarf planet, as defined by the International Astronomical Union , is a celestial body orbiting the Sun that is massive enough to be spherical as a result of its own gravity but has not cleared its neighboring region of planetesimals and is not a satellite...

s and several more are likely to achieve this classification.

Numbering and naming conventions

After discovery, asteroids generally receive a provisional designation (such as "1989 AC"), then a number (such as 4179), and finally (optionally) a name (such as "Toutatis
4179 Toutatis
4179 Toutatis/1989 AC is an Apollo, Alinda, and Mars-crosser asteroid with a chaotic orbit produced by a 3:1 resonance with the planet Jupiter, a 1:4 resonance with the planet Earth, and frequent close approaches to the terrestrial planets...

"), in that order.

In modern times, an asteroid receives a sequential number only after its orbit is precisely known. Asteroids whose orbits are not (yet) precisely known are known by their provisional designation. This rule was not necessarily followed in earlier times, and some asteroids received a number but were subsequently "lost". All of these have now been recovered; the last "lost" numbered asteroid was 719 Albert
719 Albert
719 Albert is a Mars-crossing, Amor asteroid; it was the second one discovered after 433 Eros.-Discovery:Discovered in 1911 by Johann Palisa, the asteroid was named after one of the Imperial Observatory in Vienna's major benefactors, Albert Salomon von Rothschild, who had died some months before...

.

Only after a number is assigned is the asteroid eligible to receive a name. Usually the discoverer has up to 10 years to pick a name; some asteroids remain unnamed. Especially towards the end of the twentieth century, with large-scale automated asteroid discovery programs such as LINEAR
Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research
The Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research project is a cooperative project between the United States Air Force, NASA, and MIT's Lincoln Laboratory for the systematic discovery and tracking of near-Earth asteroids. LINEAR was responsible for the majority of asteroid detections since 1998 until...

, the pace of discoveries has increased so much that it seems likely that the vast majority of minor planets will never receive names.

For the reasons mentioned above, the sequence of numbers only approximately matches the timeline of discovery. In extreme cases, such as "lost" asteroids, there may be a considerable mismatch: for instance the high-numbered 69230 Hermes
69230 Hermes
-External links:* * *...

 was originally discovered in 1937, but it was a lost asteroid until 2003. Only after it was rediscovered could its orbit be established and a number assigned.

Index to lists of minor planets

The minor planets are listed in the following:
       1–1000    10001–11000    20001–21000    30001–31000    40001–41000
    1001–2000    11001–12000    21001–22000    31001–32000    41001–42000
    2001–3000    12001–13000    22001–23000    32001–33000    42001–43000
    3001–4000    13001–14000    23001–24000    33001–34000    43001–44000
    4001–5000    14001–15000    24001–25000    34001–35000    44001–45000
    5001–6000    15001–16000    25001–26000    35001–36000    45001–46000
    6001–7000    16001–17000    26001–27000    36001–37000    46001–47000
    7001–8000    17001–18000    27001–28000    37001–38000    47001–48000
    8001–9000    18001–19000    28001–29000    38001–39000    48001–49000
   9001–10000    19001–20000    29001–30000    39001–40000    49001–50000
 
  50001–51000    60001–61000    70001–71000    80001–81000    90001–91000
  51001–52000    61001–62000    71001–72000    81001–82000    91001–92000
  52001–53000    62001–63000    72001–73000    82001–83000    92001–93000
  53001–54000    63001–64000    73001–74000    83001–84000    93001–94000
  54001–55000    64001–65000    74001–75000    84001–85000    94001–95000
  55001–56000    65001–66000    75001–76000    85001–86000    95001–96000
  56001–57000    66001–67000    76001–77000    86001–87000    96001–97000
  57001–58000    67001–68000    77001–78000    87001–88000    97001–98000
  58001–59000    68001–69000    78001–79000    88001–89000    98001–99000
  59001–60000    69001–70000    79001–80000    89001–90000    99001–100000
 
100001–101000  110001–111000  120001–121000  130001–131000  140001–141000
101001–102000  111001–112000  121001–122000  131001–132000  141001–142000
102001–103000  112001–113000  122001–123000  132001–133000  142001–143000
103001–104000  113001–114000  123001–124000  133001–134000  143001–144000
104001–105000  114001–115000  124001–125000  134001–135000  144001–145000
105001–106000  115001–116000  125001–126000  135001–136000  145001–146000
106001–107000  116001–117000  126001–127000  136001–137000  146001–147000
107001–108000  117001–118000  127001–128000  137001–138000  147001–148000
108001–109000  118001–119000  128001–129000  138001–139000  148001–149000
109001–110000  119001–120000  129001–130000  139001–140000  149001–150000
 
150001–151000  160001–161000  170001–171000  180001–181000  190001–191000
151001–152000  161001–162000  171001–172000  181001–182000  191001–192000
152001–153000  162001–163000  172001–173000  182001–183000  192001–193000
153001–154000  163001–164000  173001–174000  183001–184000  193001–194000
154001–155000  164001–165000  174001–175000  184001–185000  194001–195000
155001–156000  165001–166000  175001–176000  185001–186000  195001–196000
156001–157000  166001–167000  176001–177000  186001–187000  196001–197000
157001–158000  167001–168000  177001–178000  187001–188000  197001–198000
158001–159000  168001–169000  178001–179000  188001–189000  198001–199000
159001–160000  169001–170000  179001–180000  189001–190000  199001–200000
 
200001–201000  210001–211000 
201001–202000  211001–212000 
202001–203000  212001–213000 
203001–204000  213001–214000 
204001–205000  (additional
named MPs)
 
205001–206000 
206001–207000 
207001–208000 
208001–209000 
209001–210000 

Books

  • Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, 5th ed.: Prepared on Behalf of Commission 20 Under the Auspices of the International Astronomical Union, Lutz D. Schmadel
    Lutz D. Schmadel
    Lutz D. Schmadel is a German astronomer who works at the Astronomisches Rechen-Institut of the University of Heidelberg.He is a prolific discoverer of asteroids. His special interest is the orbit/course of the asteroids...

    , ISBN 3-540-00238-3
  • The Names of the Minor Planets, Paul Herget
    Paul Herget
    Paul Herget was an American astronomer.Herget taught astronomy at the University of Cincinnati. He was a pioneer in the use of machine methods, and eventually digital computers, in the solving of scientific and specifically astronomical problems .During World War II he applied these same talents...

    , 1968

See also

  • Minor-planet moon (includes list)
  • List of minor planets named after people
  • List of minor planets named after places
  • List of comets
  • List of Solar System bodies formerly regarded as planets
  • List of trans-Neptunian objects
  • Meanings of minor planet names
  • Minor planet
    Minor planet
    An asteroid group or minor-planet group is a population of minor planets that have a share broadly similar orbits. Members are generally unrelated to each other, unlike in an asteroid family, which often results from the break-up of a single asteroid...

     (for links to articles on particular groups and families, some of which have lists)
  • Minor Planet Center
    Minor Planet Center
    The Minor Planet Center operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory , which is part of the Center for Astrophysics along with the Harvard College Observatory ....

  • Pronunciation of asteroid names
    Pronunciation of asteroid names
    This page alphabetically lists the first thousand asteroids to be numbered, which are mostly in the main belt.See also Pronunciation of Trojan asteroids.-A:...


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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