What are minor planet designations?
Q: What are minor planet designations?
A: Minor planet designations are number-name combinations given by the Minor Planet Center, a part of the IAU. They are used for dwarf planets and small Solar System bodies such as asteroids, but not comets.
Q: How is a formal designation composed?
A: A formal designation consists of two parts - a number, historically given in a similar order to the order that it was found, now given only after the orbit is secured; and a name, either the name assigned by the astronomer who found it or more commonly, the provisional designation.
Q: What does a formal designation look like?
A: A formal designation looks like (number) Name; for example (90377) Sedna or (55636) 2002 TX300. In practice however, brackets are often removed from around the number so that it appears as 90377 Sedna.
Q: How do moons of minor planets get their designations?
A: The rule for moons of minor planets is an extension of the Roman numeral convention used on and off for moons of planets since Galileo's time. For example (87) Sylvia I Romulus is an asteroid moon called Romulus.
Q: Does the Minor Planet Center manage comets?
A: Yes, The Minor Planet Center also managed comets but used a different cataloging system.
Q: Is there any difference between provisional designations and formal ones?
A: Yes, provisional designations are given when an object is first found while formal ones are only issued once its orbit has been secured.
