Meanings of minor planet names: 41001–42000
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]
41001–41100
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 41049 Van Citters | 1999 VC9 | G. Wayne Van Citters, American astronomer JPL |
41101–41200
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 41107 Ropakov | 1999 VX72 | Ivan V. Ropakov, grandfather of the second discoverer JPL |
41201–41300
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 41206 Sciannameo | 1999 WG9 | Francesco Sciannameo, Italian professor of general surgery, head physician of the Terni hospital, and amateur astronomer JPL | |
| 41279 Trentman | 1999 XD95 | Richard Trentman, American amateur astronomer and team member of the Powell Observatory Near-Earth-Object follow-up program JPL |
41301–41400
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| There are no named minor planets in this number range | |||
41401–41500
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 41450 Medkeff | 2000 LF15 | Jeff Medkeff, American designer of software for robotic operations of observatories, telescope control, data reduction and automatic submission of results to the Minor Planet Center † | |
| 41488 Sindbad | 2000 QE71 | Sindbad, legendary sailor from Baghdad whose numerous fantastic adventures are recounted in The Arabian Nights JPL |
41501–41600
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| There are no named minor planets in this number range | |||
41601–41700
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| There are no named minor planets in this number range | |||
41701–41800
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 41800 Robwilliams | 2000 WM19 | Robert A. Williams, American psychiatrist and author, director of the Biological Psychiatry Institute in Phoenix, Arizona JPL |
41801–41900
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| There are no named minor planets in this number range | |||
41901–42000
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 41943 Fredrick | 2000 XH2 | Richard Fredrick, American amateur astronomer and team member of the Powell Observatory Near-Earth-Object follow-up program JPL | |
| 41979 Lelumacri | 2000 YK16 | Luca Pacciorini (b. 1958), his partner Cristina Conedera (b. 1965) and their two children, Letizia (b. 2000) and Martino (b. 2002), are friends of the discoverer. JPL | |
| 41981 Yaobeina | 2000 YD21 | Yao Beina (1981-2015) was a talented and courageous Chinese singer who won numerous awards for the best Chinese pop song performance. One of Yao's famous songs, "Fire of the Heart", was about the reflections on her battle with breast cancer. She donated her corneas. JPL | |
| 41986 Fort Bend | 2000 YR29 | Fort Bend Astronomy Club of Stafford, Texas, USA, several of whose members are asteroid discoverers (J. L. Casady, A. Cruz, P. Garossino, C. Gustava, A. Lowe, D. Wells) JPL |
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.