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IAU Division F |
The Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature (originally the Committee for Small Bodies Nomenclature - CSBN) has a responsibility, under the authority of the IAU, for the names of the small bodies (except satellites of the major planets) in the solar system - minor planets (asteroids), comets and satellites of minor planets. WG-SBN together with WG-PSN is responsible for naming of dwarf planets. The actual naming is administered, under the guidance of the WG, by the Minor Planet Center (MPC). The committee has also the responsibility for the designations of these bodies.
The members of the WG for the 2018-2021 triennium are:
Chair: Jana Tichá (Czech Republic)General communications to the WG should normally be addressed to the chair and secretary.
Basic info about naming of minor planets.
Basic info about naming of comets.
There is the alphabetical list of all named minor planets.
More detailed guidelines for minor planet naming are available here.
However, neither the CSBN nor the IAU or MPC sells names of comets or asteroids to the public. This derives from the general policy of the IAU on selling names for celestial bodies which you can read at the IAU web site.
The reports for the Transactions of the IAU for several triennia
are available here (and further will be added soon):
Vol XXX A (2018),
Vol XXVI A (2006),
Vol XXV A (2003),
Vol XXIV A (2000).
The IAU WG-SBN page is hosted by the Klet Observatory, Czech Republic since Apr. 2017.