Astronomical objects named after people - Definition and Overview

There are probably a few thousand astronomical objects named after people. These include the names of a few thousand asteroids and hundreds of comets. Also, many topological features on solar system bodies have been named after people, including many hundreds of craters on the Moon, Mars and other planets and satellites. In addition to craters there are also various other topological features such as mountains, valleys, ridges on the Moon and other bodies which are also named after people. Finally, a very few stars are named after people, such as Barnard's star. Thus this list is somewhat incomplete.

The list does not include astronomical objects named after mythological or fictional characters.

For other lists of eponyms (names derived from people) see eponym.

For a list of eponyms sorted by names see List of eponyms.

• Comets and asteroids (see links below)
• Barnard's Star – Edward Emerson Barnard
• Kepler's Star – Johannes Kepler
• Maxwell Montes – James Clerk Maxwell (mountain on Venus)

See also

• List of astronomical topics
• List of craters on Mercury
• List of craters on the Moon
• List of features on the Moon
• List of craters on Mars

• List of features on Phobos and Deimos
• List of geological features on Hyperion
• Various regiones on Ganymede [1] (http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/jupiter/ganyregi.html) and Iapetus [2] (http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/saturn/iaperegi.html)

• List of geological features on 433 Eros
• List of geological features on 951 Gaspra
• List of geological features on 243 Ida and Dactyl

• List of asteroids
• List of asteroids named after important people (also very incomplete)
• List of periodic comets
• List of non-periodic comets

• Lists of people

External links

• USGS Gazeteer of Planetary Nomenclature (http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/)