Meanings of minor-planet names: 79001–80000
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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]
79001–79100
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 79086 Gorgasali | 1977 RD | Vakhtang I of Iberia (440–502) ruler of the Georgian kingdom of Kartli and founder of Tbilisi | JPL · 79086 |
| 79087 Scheidt | 1977 UM2 | Samuel Scheidt (1587–1654), a German organist and composer, who was born and died in the discoverer's home town, Halle, Saxony-Anhalt | JPL · 79087 |
79101–79200
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 79117 Brydonejack | 1988 QC1 | William Brydone Jack (1817–1886) was a pioneer of Canadian astronomy. He built British North America's first astronomical observatory in 1851. Jack practised public outreach in astronomy. He determined Canada's first longitude readings, delivered the first engineering lecture and created the first engineering chair in Canada. | JPL · 79117 |
| 79129 Robkoldewey | 1990 TX11 | Robert Koldewey (1855–1925), a German architect and archaeologist | JPL · 79129 |
| 79130 Bandanomori | 1990 UC2 | Mount Bandanomori (769 m), in Suzaki city, Kochi prefecture, Japan | JPL · 79130 |
| 79138 Mansfeld | 1991 RS4 | Mansfeld is a German town, situated at the border of the Harz Mountains. | JPL · 79138 |
| 79144 Cervantes | 1992 CM3 | Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616), Spanish novelist, best known for Don Quijote | JPL · 79144 |
| 79149 Kajigamori | 1992 UR4 | Mount Kajigamori (1400 m), in Otoyo town, Kochi prefecture, Japan, site of Kajigamori Observatory (421) | JPL · 79149 |
| 79152 Abukumagawa | 1993 FX3 | The Japanese Abukumagawa River originates in Mt. Kashi-Asahidake. It runs south to north through Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures, winding its way through the major cities in central Fukushima prefecture, before flowing into the Pacific Ocean. | JPL · 79152 |
79201–79300
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 79212 Martadigrazia | 1994 ET | Marta Di Grazia (b. 1965), an Italian amateur astronomer | IAU · 79212 |
| 79240 Rosanna | 1994 QD | Rosanna Spessot (born 1958), an Italian amateur astronomer, who is one of the most important staff members on the Farra d'Isonzo Observatory team. | JPL · 79240 |
| 79241 Fulviobressan | 1994 QE | Fulvio Bressan (born 1956), an Italian amateur astronomer, who was one of the founders of the Farra d'Isonzo Observatory. | JPL · 79241 |
| 79254 Tsuda | 1994 YJ | Tsunemi Tsuda (1960–1993), the "Blazing Closer", Japanese baseball player for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp | JPL · 79254 |
| 79271 Bellagio | 1995 SJ5 | The Italian resort town of Bellagio on Lake Como, a few kilometers north of the Sormano Astronomical Observatory where this asteroid was discovered (Src) | MPC · 79271 |
| 79286 Hexiantu | 1995 SQ53 | He Xiantu (born 1937) is a leading theoretical physicist and an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He has made significant contributions to the studies of plasma physics, nonlinear science and statistical physics. He has won several State Natural Science Awards and National Science and Technology Progress Awards. | JPL · 79286 |
79301–79400
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 79316 Huangshan | 1996 HS7 | Huangshan City, named for nearby Huangshan mountain range, is the birthplace of Huizhou culture. There is beautiful natural scenery, human relics and rare natural resources that have allowed the city to be identified for UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage in the World Heritage List | JPL · 79316 |
| 79333 Yusaku | 1996 TN6 | Yūsaku Matsuda, 20th-century Japanese television and film actor | JPL · 79333 |
| 79347 Medlov | 1996 XJ2 | Medlov is a pond located near the town of Nové Město na Moravě in the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands, Czech Republic. It is a popular recreational area. Astronomical summer youth camps were organized near Medlov pond in the 1980s and 1990s. | JPL · 79347 |
| 79353 Andrewalday | 1997 AF16 | Andrew Alday, American member of the Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing (AMOS) team | JPL · 79353 |
| 79354 Brundibár | 1997 BB | Brundibár is a children's opera by Jewish Czech composer Hans Krása and librettist Adolf Hoffmeister, originally performed by the children of Theresienstadt ghetto for Jews in 1943. The name comes from a Czech word for a bumble-bee. | JPL · 79354 |
| 79360 Sila–Nunam | 1997 CS29 | Silap Inua (Sila) is the Inuit god of the sky, weather, and life force. Nunam is the Earth goddess, Sila's wife. | JPL · 79360 |
| 79375 Valetti | 1997 FA | Alvero Valetti (1923–2005), an Italian mathematician and physicist | JPL · 79375 |
| 79382 Aliprandi | 1997 GC4 | Valentina Aliprandi (1981–2014), Italian pastry chef who had a passion for theatre. | JPL · 79382 |
79401–79500
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 79410 Wallerius | 1997 JW12 | Johan Gottschalk Wallerius (1709–1785), a Swedish chemist and mineralogist, who was the first holder (from 1750) of a professorship in chemistry, medicine and pharmacy at Uppsala University. He is considered the founder of agricultural chemistry. In 1761 he published his main work, Agriculturae fundamenta chemica | JPL · 79410 |
| 79418 Zhangjiajie | 1997 LO | Zhangjiajie, Hunan province, China, one of eight UNESCO-listed Chinese geoparks. | JPL · 79418 |
| 79419 Gaolu | 1997 MZ | Gaolu (1877–1947), the pioneer of modern astronomy in China, was born in Changle city, China Fujian province. He initiated the foundation of the Chinese Astronomical Society and the Purple Mountain Observatory in Nanjing | JPL · 79419 |
| 79472 Chiorny | 1998 AX4 | Vasilij G. Chiorny (born 1953), Ukrainian astronomer and asteroid photometrist who has discovered several binary asteroids at the Kharkiv Observatory (101) | JPL · 79472 |
79501–79600
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| There are no named minor planets in this number range | |||
79601–79700
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 79641 Daniloceirani | 1998 SY2 | Danilo Ceirani (born 1964) is an industrial chemist and Italian history writer, who has published several books on Roman history, Napoleon and World War II. | JPL · 79641 |
| 79647 Ballack | 1998 SG15 | Michael Ballack (born 1976) is a German professional footballer. Ballack began his career as a youth footballer at his local team at Chemnitz (about 20 km north of Drebach) and made his professional debut in 1995 | JPL · 79647 |
| 79694 Nanrendong | 1998 SZ62 | Nan Rendong (1945–2017) was a leading astronomer, vice-president and president of IAU Division X (2003–2009). Hailed as 'Father of the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST)', he led the efforts from initiation, implementation, to completion of FAST, and served as Chief Scientist and Chief Engineer. | JPL · 79694 |
79701–79800
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| There are no named minor planets in this number range | |||
79801–79900
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 79810 Giancarlociani | 1998 VL33 | Giancarlo Ciani (b. 1948), an Italian amateur astronomer. | IAU · 79810 |
| 79811 Fengzikai | 1998 VV35 | Feng Zikai (1898–1975) was a famous painter, essayist, and art and music educator in modern China. His unique style of caricature and prose was very popular. | JPL · 79811 |
| 79826 Finardi | 1998 WP2 | Eugenio Finardi (born 1952), a famous Italian blues and pop rock singer. | JPL · 79826 |
| 79847 Colzani | 1998 XY2 | Enrico Colzani (born 1956), an Italian amateur astronomer, discoverer of minor planets, and member of the Gruppo Astrofili Brianza, who has been popularizing and teaching astronomy, and who is keen to establish a planetarium near the Sormano Astronomical Observatory. | IAU · 79847 |
| 79864 Pirituba | 1998 XG96 | Pirituba, a neighborhood in São Paulo, Brazil. Its name derives from the Tupi language words "piri" (a type of marshland plant) and "tuba" (meaning "many"). | JPL · 79864 |
| 79871 Earthrise | 1998 YT7 | Earthrise is a photograph taken by astronaut William Anders in 1968, during the Apollo 8 mission to the Moon. | IAU · 79871 |
| 79889 Maloka | 1999 AJ35 | The Maloka Interactive Center of Science and Technology, an interactive science museum in Bogotá, Colombia. | JPL · 79889 |
| 79896 Billhaley | 1999 BH5 | Bill Haley (1925–1981), American rock-and-roll pioneer | JPL · 79896 |
| 79900 Coreglia | 1999 BH8 | The Italian town of Coreglia Antelminelli, situated in the Valley of the Serchio River in the heart of Tuscany. The ancient medieval town is considered one of the most beautiful villages of Italy and is known throughout the world for its artistic production of plaster figurines. | JPL · 79900 |
79901–80000
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 79912 Terrell | 1999 CC3 | Dirk Terrell (born 1965), American astronomer, author and astronomical artist | JPL · 79912 |
| 79991 Umbertoleotti | 1999 FW3 | Umberto Leotti (born 1952) was an architect, who from 1973 to 1975 attended the S. Vittore Observatory (Bologna) with the aim of starting research activity on minor planets. He made contact with P. Herget to receive the Minor Planet Circulars and with G. A. Chebotarev to receive the annual volume of the Ephemerides of Minor Planets. | IAU · 79991 |
| 79996 Vittoria | 1999 FS19 | Vittoria Colombini (born 2021) is the second son of Alberto Colombini (see #52670) and Elena Cuoghi, and grandson of Italian amateur astronomer Ermes Colombini at the San Vittore Observatory where this minor planet was discovered. | IAU · 79996 |