Dictionary of Minor Planet Names (PDF)

Dr. Lutz D. Schmadel, astronomer and computer of orbits and ephemerides of minor planets at Astronomisches Rechen-Institut, Heidelberg, has discovered more than 230 minor planets and has done great service to the community by preparing the Dictionary of Minor Planet Names (now in its 6th edition) on behalf of Commision 20 of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). As member of the IAU he is affiliated to several divisions and commisions including Division III Commission 20 (Positions & Motions of Minor Planets, Comets & Satellites), Commission 5 (Documentation & Astronomical Data), Commission 41 (History of Astronomy), as well as the Committee on Small Bodies Nomenclature (CSBN)".

“The new sixth edition of Schmadel’s ‘Dictionary of Minor Planet Names’, has now been expanded to 16,683 named minor planets, and is published for the first time in 2 volumes with 1452 pages. … Highly recommendable to libraries, astronomers and amateur astronomers alike!” (Olaf Ninnemann, zbMATH 1317.85001, 2015)

“This is by any standards a quite excellent reference book: comprehensive, accurate, consistently edited and elegantly designed and produced. While it is obviously geared to any or all members of the astronomical community (including libraries serving them) it also has a much wider fascination for all those of us fascinated by names themselves and by the processes of naming objects.” (Stuart James, Reference Reviews, Vol. 28 (3), 2014)“German astronomer and historian Schmadel (Heidelberg Univ.) has published a sixth edition … of this annotated compilation of the named minor planets, with more than 7,000 entries added since the last edition. … Following the planet’s name is a short descriptive history of whom the planet was named for. … Although this book is intended for special users, its organization and annotations can give budding scientists a glimpse into the history of astronomy. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students through professionals/practitioners.” (R. J. Havlik, Choice, Vol. 50 (7), March, 2013)