Meanings of minor planet names: 56001–57000
As minor planet discoveries are confirmed, they are given a permanent number by the IAU's Minor Planet Center, 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 span of numbers that have received names, and explains the meanings of those names. Besides the Minor Planet Circulars (in which the citations are published), a key source is Lutz D. Schmadel's Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Meanings that do not quote a reference (the "†" links) are tentative.
Minor planets not yet given a name have not been included in this list.
| Name | Provisional Designation | Source of Name |
|---|---|---|
| 56001–56100 | ||
| 56041 Luciendumont | 1998 XO4 | Lucien Dumont, aeronautics engineer who worked for the French Railways (SNCF) † |
| 56088 Wuheng | 1999 AZ23 | Heng Wu, leader and organizer of China's science and technology † |
| 56100 Luisapolli | 1999 BM14 | Luisa Polli, sister of the grandmother of the discoverer † ‡ |
| 56201–56300 | ||
| 56280 Asemo | 1999 KS5 | ASEMO, the Astronomical Society of Eastern Missouri † |
| 56301–56400 | ||
| 56329 Tarxien | 1999 WO1 | The Tarxien temples on Malta † |
| 56401–56500 | ||
| 56422 Mnajdra | 2000 GV3 | Mnajdra, prehistoric temple complex built with large limestone blocks, located on the southern coast of Malta † |
| 56501–56600 | ||
| 56561 Jaimenomen | 2000 JG7 | Jaime Laureano Nomen Torres, Spanish prolific discoverer of minor planets at the Observatorio Astronómico de Mallorca † |
| 56601–56700 | ||
| 56678 Alicewessen | 2000 LR1 | Alice Wessen (born 1957) has worked for over twenty years at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory as Outreach Manager for planetary missions. She is a Co-Investigator for the Planetary Science Education and Public Outreach Forum, and is a recipient of NASA's Exceptional Service Medal. † |
| 56901–57000 | ||
| 56957 Seohideaki | 2000 SY20 | Hideaki Seo, the governor of Sundai Gakuen high school. † |
| Preceded by 55,001–56,000 |
Meanings of minor planet names List of minor planets: 56,001–57,000 |
Succeeded by 57,001–58,000 |