# Meanings of minor-planet names: 172001–173000

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.

## Index100K200K300K400K500K600K

* 167,000s
* 168,000s
* 169,000s
* 170,000s
* 171,000s
* 172,000s
* 173,000s
* 174,000s
* 175,000s
* 176,000s
* 177,000s
* 172,001…
* 172,101…
* 172,201…
* 172,301…
* 172,401…
* 172,501…
* 172,601…
* 172,701…
* 172,801…
* 172,901…

## 172001–172100

| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
| 172090 Davidmccomas | 2002 CL$_{257}$ | David J. McComas (born 1958), a professor of astrophysical sciences at Princeton University, served as a Co-Investigator on the Particles and Plasma Science Team for the New Horizons mission to Pluto. | JPL · 172090 |

## 172101–172200

| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
| 172191 Ralphmcnutt | 2002 PH$_{152}$ | Ralph McNutt (born 1953) is a senior scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. He served as a science team co-investigator and as the Principal Investigator of the PEPSSI instrument aboard the New Horizons mission to Pluto. | JPL · 172191 |

## 172201–172300

| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
| 172269 Tator | 2002 TJ$_{69}$ | Michael Tator (1956–2009), German amateur astronomer and co-founder of Turtle Star Observatory in Muelheim-Ruhr | JPL · 172269 |

## 172301–172400

| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
| 172315 Changqiaoxiaoxue | 2002 TL$_{300}$ | Suzhou ChangQiao Primary School. It was founded in 1911 and is located in the historic town of Lishu, China. | JPL · 172315 |
| 172317 Walterbos | 2002 TZ$_{315}$ | René Walterbos (born 1957), Dutch–American astronomer with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey | JPL · 172317 |
| 172318 Wangshui | 2002 TY$_{342}$ | Shu-i Wang (born 1964), American optical engineer with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey | JPL · 172318 |

## 172401–172500

| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
| 172425 Taliajacobi | 2003 OJ$_{18}$ | Talia Jacobi (born 1977), Israeli medical student, nature guide and fan of astronomy, wife of the discoverer David Polishook | JPL · 172425 |
| 172430 Sergiofonti | 2003 QL$_8$ | Sergio Fonti (1945–2018) was a planetary scientist and Professor at Lecce University. He worked on the Rosetta, Mars Express and Venus Express space missions. | IAU · 172430 |

## 172501–172600

| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
| 172505 Kimberlyespy | 2003 SC$_{202}$ | Kimberly Andrews Espy (born 1963) is the former Senior Vice President for Research at the University of Arizona, and was instrumental in establishing the space situational awareness initiative. A translational clinical neuroscientist and psychologist, she pioneered the integration of cognitive neuroscience tools. | JPL · 172505 |
| 172525 Adamblock | 2003 TY$_1$ | Adam Block (born 1973), American astronomy popularizer, discoverer of minor planets and astronomical director of the Mount Lemmon Science Center | JPL · 172525 |
| 172526 Carolinegarcia | 2003 TN$_3$ | Caroline M. Garcia (born 1961) is the Associate Vice President for Research at the University of Arizona. She has been instrumental in the administration of research resources at the university. An accountant by training, she has served the university for more than three decades. | JPL · 172526 |
| 172593 Vörösmarty | 2003 VM | Mihály Vörösmarty (1800–1855) was a poet and dramatist, one of the greatest Hungarian romanticists, and a full member of the Hungarian Academy of Science. His poetry Szózat became a second national anthem, and Csongor és Tünde is one of the best Hungarian plays of the nineteenth century. | JPL · 172593 |

## 172601–172700

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

## 172701–172800

| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
| 172734 Giansimon | 2004 CN$_1$ | Gianluca (born 1969) and Simona (born 1971), sons of Italian co-discoverer Giancarlo Fagioli | JPL · 172734 |

## 172801–172900

| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
| 172850 Coppens | 2005 EU$_{27}$ | Yves Coppens (born 1934), French paleoanthropologist, codiscoverer of the Australopithecus afarensis Lucy | JPL · 172850 |

## 172901–173000

| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
| 172932 Bachleitner | 2005 JC | Hannes Bachleitner (born 1965), a well-known Austrian amateur astronomer and astrophotographer | JPL · 172932 |
| 172937 Pattysieck | 2005 JS$_{32}$ | Patty Alvarado Sieck (b. 1961), an investigator for the State of Colorado Public Defenders Office for 23 years. | IAU172937 |
| 172947 Baeyens | 2005 JQ$_{138}$ | Dennis A. Baeyens (born 1946), is a molecular biologist who earned a PhD at Michigan State University. | JPL · 172947 |
| 172951 Mehoke | 2005 JN$_{174}$ | Douglas S. Mehoke (born 1956) is a thermal engineer at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, and served as a Thermal Systems Engineer for the New Horizons mission to Pluto. | JPL · 172951 |
| 172985 Ericmelin | 2006 HW$_{147}$ | Eric D. Melin (born 1977) is a software engineer at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, and served as the Ground Systems Lead for the New Horizons mission to Pluto. | JPL · 172985 |
| 172989 Xuliyang | 2006 KW$_{67}$ | Xu Liyang (born 1989), a friend of Chinese co-discoverer Ye Quan-Zhi | JPL · 172989 |
| 172996 Stooke | 2006 KL$_{141}$ | Philip John Stooke (born 1952), Canadian geographer, author of the International Atlas of Lunar Exploration | JPL · 172996 |