Meanings of minor-planet names: 79001–80000

This is a partial list of meanings of minor-planet names. Also see list of named minor planets (alphabetical) for a condensed version without naming citations.

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). Before May 2021, citations were published in MPC's Minor Planet Circulars for many decades. Recent citations can also be found on the JPL Small-Body Database (SBDB). 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.

Based on Paul Herget's The Names of the Minor Planets, 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. The WGSBN publishes a comprehensive guideline for the naming rules of non-cometary small Solar System bodies.

79001–79100

Named minor planet	Provisional	This minor planet was named for...	Ref · Catalog
79086 Gorgasali	1977 RD	King Vakhtang Gorgasali of Kartli (Iberia), 5th-century founder of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia JPL
79087 Scheidt	1977 UM2	Samuel Scheidt, German organist and composer (as were his brothers Gottfried and Christian), who was born and died in the discoverer's home town, Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany JPL

79101–79200

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Named minor planet	Provisional	This minor planet was named for...	Ref · Catalog
79117 Brydonejack	1988 QC1	79117 Brydonejack Discovered 1988 Aug. 16 by C. S. Shoemaker and E. M. Shoemaker at Palomar. 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
79129 Robkoldewey	1990 TX11	Robert Koldewey, German architect and archaeologist JPL
79130 Bandanomori	1990 UC2	Mount Bandanomori (769 m), in Suzaki city, Kochi prefecture, Japan JPL
79144 Cervantes	1992 CM3	Miguel de Cervantes, Spanish novelist, best known for Don Quijote JPL
79149 Kajigamori	1992 UR4	Mount Kajigamori (1400 m), in Otoyo town, Kochi prefecture, Japan, site of Kajigamori Observatory JPL
79152 Abukumagawa	1993 FX3	79152 Abukumagawa Discovered 1993 Mar. 17 by T. Seki at Geisei. 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

79201–79300

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Named minor planet	Provisional	This minor planet was named for...	Ref · Catalog
79240 Rosanna	1994 QD	Rosanna Spessot (b. 1958), an Italian amateur astronomer, who is one of the most important staff members on the Farra d’Isonzo Observatory team. JPL
79241 Fulviobressan	1994 QE	Fulvio Bressan (b. 1956), an Italian amateur astronomer, who was one of the founders of the Farra d’Isonzo Observatory. JPL
79254 Tsuda	1994 YJ	Tsunemi Tsuda, the "Blazing Closer", Japanese baseball player for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp JPL
79271 Bellagio	1995 SJ5	Bellagio, Italy, a resort town on Lake Como, a few kilometers north of the Osservatorio Astronomico Sormano (Sormano Astronomical Observatory) † ‡

79301–79400

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Named minor planet	Provisional	This minor planet was named for...	Ref · Catalog
79316 Huangshan	1996 HS7	79316 Huangshan Discovered 1996 Apr. 18 by the Beijing Schmidt CCD Asteroid Program at Xinglong. Huangshan City, named for nearby Mt. Huangshan, 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
79333 Yusaku	1996 TN6	Yusaku Matsuda, 20th-century Japanese television and film actor JPL
79353 Andrewalday	1997 AF16	Andrew Alday, American member of the Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing (AMOS) team JPL
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
79360 Sila-Nunam	1997 CS29	Sila is the Inuit god of the sky, weather, and life force. Nunam is the Earth goddess, Sila's wife. JPL
79375 Valetti	1997 FA	Alvero Valetti, Italian mathematician and physicist JPL

79401–79500

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Named minor planet	Provisional	This minor planet was named for...	Ref · Catalog
79410 Wallerius	1997 JW12	79410 Wallerius Discovered 1997 May 3 by E. W. Elst at the European Southern Observatory. Swedish chemist and mineralogist Johan Gottschalk Wallerius (1709-1785) 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
79418 Zhangjiajie	1997 LO	Zhangjiajie, Hunan province, China, one of eight UNESCO-listed Chinese geoparks. JPL
79419 Gaolu	1997 MZ	79419 Gaolu Discovered 1997 June 26 by the Beijing Schmidt CCD Asteroid Program at Xinglong. 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
79472 Chiorny	1998 AX4	Vasilij G. Chiorny (b. 1953), a prolific asteroid photometrist at the Kharkiv Observatory. JPL

79501–79600

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Named minor planet	Provisional	This minor planet was named for...	Ref · Catalog
There are no named minor planets in this number range

79601–79700

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Named minor planet	Provisional	This minor planet was named for...	Ref · Catalog
79641 Daniloceirani	1998 SY2	Danilo Ceirani (b. 1964) is an industrial chemist and Italian history writer, who has published several books on Roman history, Napoleon and World War II. JPL
79647 Ballack	1998 SG15	79647 Ballack Discovered 1998 Sept. 22 by G. Lehmann and J. Kandler at Drebach. Michael Ballack (b. 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

79701–79800

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Named minor planet	Provisional	This minor planet was named for...	Ref · Catalog
There are no named minor planets in this number range

79801–79900

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Named minor planet	Provisional	This minor planet was named for...	Ref · Catalog
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
79889 Maloka	1999 AJ35	The Maloka Interactive Center of Science and Technology, an interactive science museum in Bogota, Colombia. JPL
79896 Billhaley	1999 BH5	Bill Haley, American rock-and-roll pioneer † ‡
79900 Coreglia	1999 BH8	An ancient medieval town situated in the Valley of the Serchio River in the heart of Tuscany, Coreglia is considered one of the most beautiful villages of Italy and is known throughout the world for its artistic production of plaster figurines. JPL

79901–80000

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Named minor planet	Provisional	This minor planet was named for...	Ref · Catalog
79912 Terrell	1999 CC3	Dirk Terrell, American astronomer, author and astronomical artist JPL