Over the last four decades, the list has grown significantly with an average rate of 492 new namings published every year (or 1.35 namings per day). While in March 1979,[2] only 1924 minor planets had received a name and completed the
designation process, as of 10 June 2024[update], the list contains 24,795 named objects.[1] This, however, only accounts for 3.54% of all numbered bodies, as there are over
699,000 minor planets with a well established orbit which is a precondition for receiving a name. Of all these minor-planet names, 1311 contain
diacritical marks.[3]
^
abFor a minor-planet name starting with a character that is not convertible into a Latin one, the second character of its name is used instead. Examples include
469705 ǂKá̦gára (added to names starting with
"K") and
374710 ʻOʻo (to be found in the partial list for
letter "O").
^The following partial lists of named minor planets highlight objects for which no article exists on Wikipedia. Links for such objects redirect to the
list of minor planets and are displayed in grey rather than blue color. Designations are always given without parentheses (see
permanent syntax).
References
^
ab"WGSBN Bulletin Archive". Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature. 10 June 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.