List of minor planet discoverers
This is a list of notable minor-planet discoverers credited by the Minor Planet Center with the discovery of one or several minor planets (such as near-Earth and main-belt asteroids, Jupiter trojans and distant objects). As of 22 October 2025, the discovery of over 800,000 numbered minor planets are credited to 2,186 astronomers, observatories, telescopes or surveys.[1]
Discovering astronomers
The table consist of the following fields:
- Astronomers: links to the corresponding article about the discovering astronomer on Wikipedia.
- Discoveries: displays the total number of discovered and co-discovered minor planets made by the discoverer (numbered bodies only). It links to the corresponding "Discovery by..." category, which are subcategories of Category:Discoveries by astronomer. These categories do not contain discoveries for which no page on Wikipedia exists. Astronomers with only a few discoveries sometimes do not have their own discovery-category (redlinks). For those who have discovered only one single minor planet, the link in the discovery column directly points to the corresponding entry in the list of minor planets.
- DOB–DOD: displays the astronomer's date of birth and, if applicable, death.
- Name(s) at MPC: displays the name of the discoverer as used by the MPC, where the abbreviated first name is written before the family name. Some discoverers have multiple names due to inconsistencies and typos.
- Asteroid(s): minor-planet discoverers are often honored with the naming of (one or several) asteroids by their colleagues. This column gives links to those asteroids.
| Astronomer | Discoveries | DOB–DOD | Name(s) at MPC | Asteroid(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hiroshi Abe | 28 | 1958–pres. | H. Abe | (5379) |
| Christopher Aikman | 6 | 1943–pres. | G. C. L. Aikman | (661786) |
| Makio Akiyama | 16 | 1950–pres. | M. Akiyama | (4904) |
| Vladimir Albitsky | 10 | 1891–1952 | V. Albitskij | (1783) |
| Gregory Scott Aldering | 4 | 1962–pres. | G. Aldering | (26533) |
| Heikki A. Alikoski | 13 | 1912–1997 | H. Alikoski | (1567) |
| Jeff T. Alu | 25 | 1966–pres. | J. Alu | (4104) |
| Leonard L. Amburgey | 2 | 1945–pres. | L. L. Amburgey | — |
| A. David Andrews | 1 | 1933–pres. | A. D. Andrews | — |
| Milan Antal | 17 | 1935–1999 | M. Antal | (6717) |
| Plinio Antolini | 4 | 1920–2012 | P. Antolini | — |
| Pierre Antonini | 35 | 1933–pres. | P. Antonini | (12580) |
| Masakatsu Aoki | 2 | 1957–pres. | M. Aoki | — |
| Rolf Apitzsch | 127 | 1943–pres. | R. Apitzsch | (29214) |
| Masaru Arai | 45 | 1952–pres. | M. Arai | (21082) |
| Hiroshi Araki | 3 | 1935–pres. | H. Araki | (8707) |
| Sylvain Arend | 51 | 1902–1992 | S. J. Arend | (1502) |
| Mark Armstrong | 2 | 1958–pres. | M. Armstrong | — |
| Atsuo Asami | 7 | n.a. | A. Asami | — |
| David J. Asher | 10 | 1966–pres. | D. J. Asher | (6564) |
| Karl Augustesen | 6 | 1945–pres. | K. Augustesen | (5171) |
| Walter Baade | 10 | 1893–1960 | W. Baade | (1501) |
| Ulrika Babiaková | 14 | 1976–2002 | U. Babiakova | (32531) |
| Paolo Bacci | 1 | 1968–pres. | P. Bacci | (108205) |
| Solon Irving Bailey | 1 | 1854–1931 | S. I. Bailey | — |
| David D. Balam | 276 | n.a. | D. D. Balam | (3749) |
| Loren C. Ball | 112 | 1948–pres. | L. Ball | (16095) |
| Thomas J. Balonek | 9 | n.a. | T. J. Balonek | — |
| Odette Bancilhon | 1 | 1908–1998 | O. Bancilhon | (1713) |
| Yoshiaki Banno | 1 | 1952–1991 | Y. Banno | (3394) |
| Kristina M. Barkume | 1 | n.a. | K. M. Barkume | — |
| Ewan Barr | 5 | n.a. | E. Barr | — |
| Maria A. Barucci | 3 | n.a. | M. A. Barucci | (3485) |
| James Bauer | 1 | 1968–pres. | J. Bauer | (16232) |
| Ivo Baueršíma | 1 | 1931–pres. | I. Bauersima | — |
| Johann M. Baur | 15 | 1930–2007 | J. M. Baur | (11673) |
| Andrew C. Becker | 645 | 1973–pres. | A. C. Becker | (5280) |
| Sergey Belyavsky | 36 | 1883–1953 | S. Beljavskij | — |
| Graham E. Bell | 59 | n.a. | G. Bell | — |
| Yuri A. Belyaev | 7 | n.a. | Yu. A. Belyaev | — |
| Zouhair Benkhaldoun | 1 | 1959–pres. | Z. Benkhaldoun | (133892) |
| Fabrizio Bernardi | 55 | 1972–pres. | F. Bernardi | (27983) |
| Laurent Bernasconi | 105 | 1966–pres. | L. Bernasconi | (13793) |
| Wolf Bickel | 1253 | 1942–pres. | W. Bickel | (4324) |
| Guillaume Bigourdan | 1 | 1851–1932 | G. Bigourdan | — |
| Richard P. Binzel | 3 | 1958–pres. | R. P. Binzel | (2873) |
| Kurt Birkle | 9 | 1939–2010 | K. Birkle | (4803) |
| Mirel Bîrlan | 2 | 1963–pres. | M. Birlan | (10034) |
| Andrea Boattini | 907 | 1969–pres. | A. Boattini | (8925) |
| Henri M. J. Boffin | 11 | n.a. | H. M. J. BoffinH. Boffin | — |
| Alfred Bohrmann | 9 | 1904–2000 | A. Bohrmann | (1635) |
| Tom Boles | 1 | 1944–pres. | T. Boles | (7648) |
| Gennadiy Borisov | 7 | 1962–pres. | G. Borisov | (624448) |
| Freimut Börngen | 539 | 1930–2021 | F. Borngen | (3859) |
| Alphonse Borrelly | 18 | 1842–1926 | A. Borrelly | (1539) |
| Edward L. G. Bowell | 572 | 1943–pres. | E. Bowell | (2246) |
| Louis Boyer | 40 | 1901–1999 | L. Boyer | (1215) |
| Joseph L. Brady | 8 | n.a. | J. L. Brady | — |
| Alexis Brandeker | 5 | 1974–pres. | A. Brandeker | — |
| John Broughton | 1220 | 1952–pres. | J. Broughton | (24105) |
| Michael E. Brown | 32 | 1965–pres. | M. E. Brown | (11714) |
| Ladislav Brožek | 23 | 1952–pres. | L. Brozek | — |
| Marc Buie | 1023 | 1958–pres. | M. W. Buie | (7553) |
| Bella A. Burnasheva | 13 | 1944–pres. | B. A. Burnasheva | (4427) |
| Robert Burnham Jr. | 1 | 1931–1993 | R. Burnham | (3467) |
| Joseph A. Burns | 1 | 1941–pres. | J. A. Burns | (2708) |
| Schelte J. Bus | 1688 | 1956–pres. | S. J. Bus | (3254) |
| Luca Buzzi | 9 | 1982–pres. | L. Buzzi | (6517) |
| Michael P. Candy | 3 | 1928–1994 | M. P. Candy | (3015) |
| Luigi Carnera | 16 | 1875–1962 | L. Carnera | (39653) |
| Rafael Carrasco Garrorena | 1 | 1902–1981 | R. Carrasco | — |
| Claudio Casacci | 8 | 1958–pres. | C. Casacci | (4814) |
| Vincenzo Silvano Casulli | 220 | 1944–2018 | V. S. Casulli | (7132) |
| Gabriele Cattani | 18 | n.a. | G. Cattani | — |
| Marco Cavagna | 19 | 1958–2005 | M. Cavagna | (10149) |
| Kazimieras Černis | 198 | 1958–pres. | K. CernisK. Černis | — |
| Vincenzo Cerulli | 1 | 1859–1927 | V. Cerulli | (31028) |
| Carlos Ulrrico Cesco | 19 | 19?–1987 | C. U. Cesco | (1571) |
| Jean Chacornac | 6 | 1823–1873 | J. Chacornac | (1622) |
| Zhang Jiaxiang | 1 | 1932–2019 | C.-H. Chang | (4760) |
| Zhāng Yùzhé | 1 | 1902–1986 | Y. C. Chang | (2051) |
| Auguste Charlois | 99 | 1864–1910 | A. Charlois | (1510) |
| Jun Chen | 11 | n.a. | J. Chen | — |
| Tao Chen (astronomer) | 3 | 1980–pres. | T. Chen | (19873) |
| Lyudmila Chernykh | 267 | 1935–2017 | L. I. Chernykh | (2325) |
| Nikolai Chernykh | 537 | 1931–2004 | N. S. Chernykh | (2325) |
| Dennis K. Chesney | 38 | n.a. | D. K. Chesney | — |
| Dmitry Chestnov | 33 | n.a. | D. ChestnovD. N. Chestnov | — |
| Paolo Chiavenna | 15 | n.a. | P. Chiavenna | — |
| Bernard Christophe | 112 | n.a. | B. Christophe | — |
| Joseph Churms | 2 | 1926–1994 | J. Churms | — |
| Edwin Foster Coddington | 3 | 1870–1950 | E. F. Coddington | — |
| Jérôme Eugène Coggia | 5 | 1849–1919 | J. Coggia | (227147) |
| Michael Collins (astronomer) | 51 | n.a. | M. Collins | — |
| Josep Comas i Solà | 11 | 1868–1937 | J. Comas Sola | (1102), (1655) |
| Paul G. Comba | 701 | 1926–2017 | P. G. Comba | (7636) |
| Martin Connors | 1 | 1954–pres. | M. Connors | (13700) |
| Walter R. Cooney Jr. | 47 | 1962–pres. | W. R. Cooney Jr. | (35365) |
| Pablo Cottenot | 1 | n.a. | P. Cottenot | — |
| Fernand Courty | 2 | 1862–1921 | F. Courty | — |
| Philip Herbert Cowell | 1 | 1870–1949 | P. H. Cowell | (1898) |
| Leland E. Cunningham | 4 | 1904–1989 | L. E. Cunningham | (1754) |
| Heber Doust Curtis | 1 | 1872–1942 | H. D. Curtis | — |
| Germano D'Abramo | 3 | 1973–pres. | G. D'Abramo | (16154) |
| Heinrich Louis d'Arrest | 1 | 1822–1875 | H. d'Arrest | (9133) |
| Donald R. Davis | 6 | n.a. | D. Davis | (3638) |
| Denis Denisenko | 1 | 1971–pres. | D. Denisenko | — |
| Leo Anton Karl de Ball | 1 | 1853–1916 | K. de Ball | — |
| Peter De Cat | 28 | n.a. | P. De Cat | — |
| Annibale de Gasparis | 9 | 1819–1892 | A. de Gasparis | (4279) |
| José De Queiroz | 6 | 1954–pres. | J. De QueirozJ. D. Queiroz | (72042) |
| Charles P. de Saint-Aignan | 12 | 1977–pres. | C. P. de Saint-Aignan | (5995) |
| Giovanni de Sanctis | 42 | 1949–pres. | G. De Sanctis | (3268) |
| Henri Debehogne | 744 | 1928–2007 | H. Debehogne | (2359) |
| Joseph A. Dellinger | 124 | 1961–pres. | J. Dellinger | (78392) |
| Eugène Joseph Delporte | 66 | 1882–1955 | E. Delporte | (1274) |
| Audrey C. Delsanti | 2 | 1976–pres. | A. C. DelsantiA. Dalsanti | (87142) |
| Christophe Demeautis | 21 | n.a. | C. Demeautiss C. Demeautises C. Demeautis | (14141) |
| Alexander Nikolaevich Deutsch | 1 | 1901–1986 | A. Deutsch | — |
| Dennis di Cicco | 60 | 1950–pres. | D. di Cicco | (3841) |
| Aldo Di Clemente | 1 | 1948–pres. | A. Di Clemente | (91214) |
| Andrea Di Paola | 14 | 1970–pres. | A. Di PaolaA. D. Paola | (27130) |
| Mario Di Sora | 7 | 1961–pres. | M. Di Sora | (21999) |
| Wilhelm Dieckvoß | 2 | 1908–1982 | W. Dieckvoss | (1706) |
| Alessandro Dimai | 1 | 1962–2019 | A. Dimai | (25276) |
| Anlaug Amanda Djupvik | 1 | n.a. | A. A. Kaas | — |
| Petar Đurković | 2 | 1908–1981 | P. Djurkovic | — |
| Jerzy Dobrzycki | 1 | 1927–2004 | J. Dobrzycki | — |
| Sauro Donati | 22 | 1959–pres. | S. Donati | (69977) |
| Alain Doressoundiram | 2 | 1968–pres. | A. Doressoundiram | (7456) |
| François Dossin | 5 | 1927–1998 | F. Dossin | — |
| Raymond Smith Dugan | 16 | 1878–1940 | R. S. Dugan | (2772) |
| R. Scott Dunbar | 11 | n.a. | R. S. DunbarS. Dunbar | (3718) |
| Philippe Dupouy | 4 | 1952–pres. | P. DupouyC. R. P. Dupouy | (214485) |
| Douglas Tybor Durig | 62 | 1961–pres. | D. T. Durig | — |
| Marino Dusić | 2 | n.a. | M. Dusic | — |
| Ilgmārs Eglītis | 43 | 1951–pres. | I. EglitisI. Egliti | (320153) |
| Leonid Elenin | 480 | 1981–pres. | L. Elenin | — |
| James L. Elliot | 1 | 1943–2011 | J. L. Elliot | (3193) |
| Eric Walter Elst | 3885 | 1936–2022 | E. W. ElstE. Elst | (3936) |
| Kin Endate | 637 | 1960–pres. | K. Endate | (4282) |
| Emil Ernst | 1 | 1889–1942 | E. Ernst | — |
| James Ferguson | 3 | 1797–1867 | J. Ferguson | (1745) |
| Rafael Ferrando | 305 | 1966–pres. | R. FerrandoR. Ferrando | (161545) |
| Walter Ferreri | 15 | 1948–pres. | W. Ferreri | (3308) |
| Martin Fiedler | 7 | 1978–pres. | M. Fiedler | — |
| Alan Fitzsimmons | 46 | n.a. | A. Fitzsimmons | (4985) |
| Wilhelm Julius Foerster | 1 | 1832–1921 | W. Forster | (6771) |
| Giuseppe Forti | 50 | 1939–2007 | G. Forti | (6876) |
| Royal Harwood Frost | 1 | 1879–1950 | R. H. Frost | — |
| Tetsuya Fujii | 24 | 1960–pres. | T. Fujii | (4343) |
| Toshimasa Furuta | 82 | n.a. | T. Furuta | — |
| Adrián Galád | 89 | 1970–pres. | A. GaladA. Galád | (32008) |
| Gordon J. Garradd | 39 | 1959–pres. | G. J. Garradd | (5066) |
| Bruce L. Gary | 1 | 1939–pres. | B. Gary | (86279) |
| Tom Gehrels | 4625 | 1925–2011 | T. Gehrels | (1777) |
| Alex R. Gibbs | 1 | 1967–pres. | A. R. Gibbs | (14220) |
| Henry L. Giclas | 17 | 1910–2007 | H. L. Giclas | (1741) |
| Alan C. Gilmore | 44 | n.a. | A. C. Gilmore | (2537) |
| Brett J. Gladman | 25 | 1966–pres. | B. Gladman | (7638) |
| Hermann Goldschmidt | 14 | 1802–1866 | H. Goldschmidt | (1614) |
| François Gonnessiat | 2 | 1856–1934 | F. Gonnessiat | (1177) |
| Vittorio Goretti | 32 | 1939–2016 | V. Goretti | (7801) |
| Paul Götz | 20 | 1883–1962 | P. Gotz | (2278) |
| Andrew Graham | 1 | 1815–1908 | A. Graham | — |
| Tommy Grav | 4 | 1973–pres. | T. Grav | (12309) |
| Markus Griesser (astronomer) | 10 | 1949–pres. | M. Griesser | (11547) |
| Ian P. Griffin | 33 | 1958–pres. | I. P. GriffinI. Griffin | — |
| Gavril Grueff | 1 | n.a. | G. Grueff | — |
| Daria Guidetti | 2 | 1978–pres. | D. Guidetti | (27005) |
| Cynthia Gustava | 4 | n.a. | C. Gustava | — |
| Knut Anton Walter Gyllenberg | 1 | 1886–1952 | K. Gyllenberg | — |
| Karl Ludwig Harding | 1 | 1765–1843 | K. Harding | (2003) |
| Eugene Albert Harlan | 2 | 1921–2014 | E. A. Harlan | — |
| Malcolm Hartley | 3 | 1947–pres. | M. Hartley | (4768) |
| Johannes Franz Hartmann | 3 | 1865–1936 | J. Hartmann | — |
| Takashi Hasegawa | 1 | n.a. | T. Hasegawa | — |
| David Healy | 279 | 1936–2011 | D. Healy | (66479) |
| Zsuzsanna Heiner | 19 | 1949–pres. | Z. Heiner | — |
| Joseph Helffrich | 13 | 1890–1971 | J. Helffrich | (2290) |
| Eleanor F. Helin | 920 | 1932–2009 | E. F. Helin | (3267) |
| Karl Ludwig Hencke | 2 | 1793–1866 | K. L. Hencke | (2005) |
| Arne Henden | 1 | 1950–pres. | A. Henden | (33529) |
| Prosper-Mathieu Henry | 7 | 1849–1903 | P. M. Henry | — |
| Paul-Pierre Henry | 7 | 1848–1905 | P. P. Henry | — |
| Carl W. Hergenrother | 33 | 1973–pres. | C. W. Hergenrother | (3099) |
| Kenneth E. Herkenhoff | 2 | n.a. | K. Herkenhoff | — |
| Ejnar Hertzsprung | 2 | 1873–1967 | E. Hertzsprung | (1693) |
| Richard Erik Hill | 7 | 1949–pres. | R. Hill | (118945) |
| John Russell Hind | 10 | 1823–1895 | J. R. Hind | (1897) |
| Masanori Hirasawa | 52 | n.a. | M. Hirasawa | — |
| Sebastian Florian Hönig | 585 | 1977–pres. | S. F. HoenigS. HoenigS. F. Hönig | (51983) |
| Cuno Hoffmeister | 5 | 1892–1968 | C. Hoffmeister | (1726), (4183) |
| Matthew J. Holman | 14 | 1967–pres. | M. J. Holman | (3666) |
| Robert Holmes | 395 | 1956–pres. | R. Holmes | (5477) |
| Henry E. Holt | 688 | 1929–2019 | H. E. Holt | (4435) |
| Paulo R. Holvorcem | 824 | 1967–pres. | P. R. Holvorcem | (13421) |
| Felix Hormuth | 246 | 1975–pres. | F. Hormuth | (10660) |
| Kamil Hornoch | 4 | 1972–pres. | K. Hornoch | (14124) |
| Léo Houziaux | 3 | 1932–pres. | L. Houziaux | (24945) |
| Edwin Hubble | 1 | 1889–1953 | E. Hubble | (2069) |
| John Huchra | 1 | 1948–2010 | J. Huchra | (4656) |
| Gary Hug | 433 | n.a. | G. Hug | — |
| Kiichirō Furukawa | 92 | 1929–2016 | K. Hurukawa | (3425) |
| Kustaa Aadolf Inkeri | 1 | 1908–1997 | K. Inkeri | — |
| Shigeru Inoda | 17 | 1955–2008 | S. Inoda | (5484) |
| Michael J. Irwin | 8 | n.a. | M. J. Irwin | — |
| Kōichi Itagaki | 3 | 1947–pres. | K. Itagaki | (14551) |
| Kazuyoshi Itō | 1 | n.a. | K. Ito | — |
| Miguel Itzigsohn | 15 | ?–1978 | M. Itzigsohn | (1596) |
| Violeta G. Ivanova | 14 | n.a. | V. G. IvanovaV. Ivanova | (4365) |
| Jurij Mykolajovyč Ivaščenko | 43 | 1961–pres. | Y. Ivashchenko | — |
| Masayuki Iwamoto | 6 | 1954–pres. | M. Iwamoto | (4951) |
| Shun-ei Izumikawa | 2 | n.a. | S. Izumikawa | — |
| Cyril Jackson | 72 | 1903–1988 | C. Jackson | (2193) |
| Cristóvão Jacques (astronomer) | 7 | n.a. | C. Jacques | — |
| Jost Jahn | 18 | 1959–pres. | J. Jahn | (10340) |
| Robert Jedicke | 54 | 1963–pres. | R. Jedicke | (5899) |
| Hamilton M. Jeffers | 1 | 1893–1976 | H. M. Jeffers | (1934) |
| Benjamin Jekhowsky | 12 | 1881–1975 | B. Jekhovsky | (1606) |
| Poul Jensen | 98 | n.a. | P. Jensen | (5900) |
| David C. Jewitt | 57 | 1958–pres. | D. C. Jewitt | (6434) |
| Ernest Leonard Johnson | 18 | ?–1977 | E. L. Johnson | — |
| Amy B. Jordan | 1 | n.a. | A. B. Jordan | — |
| Charles W. Juels | 475 | 1944–2009 | C. W. Juels | (20135) |
| Mario Jurić | 125 | 1979–pres. | M. Juric | — |
| Tetsuo Kagawa | 115 | 1969–pres. | T. Kagawa | (6665) |
| Franz Kaiser | 21 | 1891–1962 | F. Kaiser | (3183) |
| Dušan Kalmančok | 7 | 1945–pres. | D. Kalmancok | (29824) |
| Karl Walter Kamper | 3 | 1941–1998 | K. W. Kamper | — |
| Kiyotaka Kanai | 1 | 1951–pres. | K. Kanai | (26168) |
| Jens Kandler | 26 | 1973–pres. | J. Kandler | (8861) |
| Hiroshi Kaneda | 705 | 1953–pres. | H. Kaneda | (4677) |
| Lyudmila Karachkina | 130 | 1948–pres. | L. G. Karachkina | (8019) |
| Galina Ričardovna Kastelʹ | 9 | n.a. | G. R. Kastelʹ | (3982) |
| John J. Kavelaars | 16 | 1966–pres. | J. J. KavelaarsJ. Kavelaars | (154660) |
| Kōyō Kawanishi | 13 | 1959–pres. | K. Kawanishi | (5591) |
| Nobuhiro Kawasato | 105 | n.a. | N. Kawasato | (4910) |
| James Edward Keeler | 2 | 1857–1900 | J. E. Keeler | (2261) |
| Pamela M. Kilmartin | 41 | n.a. | P. M. Kilmartin | (3907) |
| László L. Kiss | 89 | 1972–pres. | L. Kiss | (113202) |
| Minoru Kizawa | 12 | 1947–pres. | M. Kizawa | — |
| Arnold Richard Klemola | 16 | 1931–2019 | A. R. Klemola | (1723) |
| Rainer Kling | 104 | 1952–pres. | R. Kling | (185639) |
| Zoran Knežević | 1 | 1949–pres. | Z. Knezevic | (3900) |
| André Knöfel | 32 | 1963–pres. | A. KnofelA. KnöfelA. Kn\"ofel | (16438) |
| Viktor Knorre | 4 | 1840–1919 | V. Knorre | (14339) |
| Takao Kobayashi | 2479 | 1961–pres. | T. Kobayashi | (3500) |
| Peter Kocher | 138 | 1939–2025 | P. KocherP. Kocher | (115950) |
| Luboš Kohoutek | 76 | 1935–2023 | L. Kohoutek | (1850) |
| Masahiro Koishikawa | 19 | 1952–pres. | M. Koishikawa | (6097) |
| Takuo Kojima | 45 | 1955–pres. | T. Kojima | (3644) |
| Peter Kolény | 35 | n.a. | P. Koleny | — |
| August Kopff | 68 | 1882–1960 | A. Kopff | (1631) |
| Korado Korlević | 1295 | 1958–pres. | K. Korlevic | (10201) |
| Leonard Kornoš | 37 | 1956–pres. | L. Kornos | (23899) |
| Hiroki Kosai | 93 | 1933–pres. | H. Kosai | (3370) |
| Lenka Kotková | 262 | 1973–pres. | L. SarounovaL. Šarounová | (10390) |
| Charles T. Kowal | 24 | 1940–2011 | C. T. Kowal | — |
| Richard Kowalski | 1 | 1963–pres. | R. A. Kowalski | (7392) |
| Rainer Kracht | 5 | 1948–pres. | R. Kracht | (234761) |
| Timur Valer'evič Krjačko | 219 | 1970–pres. | T. V. KryachkoT. Kryachkoc. Kryachko | (269589) |
| Marcin Kubiak | 1 | n.a. | Kubiak | — |
| Kazuo Kubokawa | 1 | 1903–1943 | K. Kubokawa | (6140) |
| György Kulin | 21 | 1905–1989 | G. Kulin | (3019) |
| Nikolaj Efimovič Kuročkin | 2 | 1923–2003 | N. E. Kurochkin | — |
| Reiki Kushida | 1 | n.a. | R. Kushida | (5239) |
| Yoshio Kushida | 56 | 1957–pres. | Y. Kushida | (5605) |
| Peter Kušnirák | 310 | 1974–pres. | P. KusnirakP. Kušnirák | (17260) |
| Claes-Ingvar Lagerkvist | 168 | 1944–pres. | C.-I. Lagerkvist | (2875) |
| Joanny-Philippe Lagrula | 1 | 1870–1941 | J. Lagrula | (1412) |
| Carl Otto Lampland | 1 | 1873–1951 | C. O. Lampland | (1767) |
| Werner Landgraf | 7 | 1959–pres. | W. Landgraf | (3132) |
| Jeffrey A. Larsen | 2 | 1967–pres. | J. A. Larsen | (7657) |
| Stephen M. Larson | 2 | n.a. | S. M. Larson | (3690) |
| Tod R. Lauer | 3 | 1957–pres. | T. Lauer | (3135) |
| Vygandas Laugalys | 15 | 1972–pres. | V. Laugalys | (353404) |
| Marguerite Laugier | 21 | 1896–1976 | M. Laugier | (1597) |
| Joseph Jean Pierre Laurent | 1 | 1823–1900 | J. J. P. Laurent | (162) |
| Stephen P. Laurie | 50 | n.a. | S. P. Laurie | — |
| Kenneth J. Lawrence | 34 | 1964–pres. | K. J. Lawrence | (4969) |
| Susannah Lazar | 1 | 1982–pres. | S. Lazar | — |
| Charles le Morvan | 1 | 1865–1933 | C. le Morvan | — |
| Gerhard Lehmann | 35 | 1960–pres. | G. Lehmann | (8853) |
| Gregory J. Leonard | 11 | 1963–pres. | G. J. Leonard | (53435) |
| Otto Lesser | 1 | 1830–1887 | O. Lesser | — |
| David H. Levy | 65 | 1948–pres. | D. H. LevyD. Levy | (3673) |
| William Liller | 2 | 1927–2021 | W. Liller | (3222) |
| Robert Linderholm | 27 | 1933–2013 | R. Linderholm | — |
| Álvaro López-García | 12 | 1941–pres. | A. Lopez | (4657) |
| Ángel López Jiménez | 58 | 1955–pres. | A. Lopez | (19506) |
| Karl Wilhelm Lorenz | 4 | 1886–1918 | W. Lorenz | — |
| Miklós Lovas | 2 | 1931–pres. | M. Lovas | (73511) |
| Jessica Lovering | 1 | n.a. | J. R. Lovering | — |
| Percival Lowell | 1 | 1855–1916 | P. Lowell | (1886) |
| Robert Luther | 24 | 1822–1900 | R. Luther | (1303) |
| Jane Luu | 42 | 1963–pres. | J. X. Luu | (5430) |
| Renu Malhotra | 1 | 1961–pres. | R. Malhotra | (6698) |
| Franco Mallia | 17 | 1961–pres. | F. Mallia | (21685) |
| Francesco Manca | 26 | 1966–pres. | F. Manca | (15460) |
| Brian G. W. Manning | 19 | 1926–2011 | B. G. W. Manning | (3698) |
| Brian G. Marsden | 1 | 1937–2010 | B. G. Marsden | (1877) |
| Albert Marth | 1 | 1828–1897 | A. Marth | — |
| Gianluca Masi | 31 | 1972–pres. | G. Masi | (21795) |
| Adam Massinger | 7 | 1888–1914 | A. Massinger | (760) |
| Robert D. Matson | 208 | 1962–pres. | R. Matson | (73491) |
| Alain Maury | 14 | 1958–pres. | A. Maury | (3780) |
| Michele Mazzucato | 13 | 1962–pres. | M. Mazzucato | (35461) |
| John V. McClusky | 160 | n.a. | J. V. McCluskyJ. McClusky | — |
| Robert H. McNaught | 511 | 1956–pres. | R. H. McNaught | (3173) |
| Jeffrey S. Medkeff | 10 | 1968–2008 | J. Medkeff | (41450) |
| Karen Jean Meech | 6 | 1959–pres. | K. J. MeechK. Meech | (4367) |
| Philibert Jacques Melotte | 1 | 1880–1961 | P. Melotte | — |
| Jean-Claude Merlin | 93 | 1954–pres. | J.-C. Merlin | (57658) |
| Joel Hastings Metcalf | 41 | 1866–1925 | J. H. Metcalf | (726), (792) |
| Erich Meyer | 23 | 1951–pres. | E. Meyer | (7940) |
| Maik Meyer | 16 | 1970–pres. | M. Meyer | (52005) |
| Marco Micheli | 76 | 1983–pres. | M. Micheli | (10277) |
| Elia Millosevich | 2 | 1848–1919 | E. Millosevich | (69961) |
| Rudolph Minkowski | 1 | 1895–1976 | R. Minkowski | (11770) |
| Seidai Miyasaka | 4 | 1955–pres. | S. Miyasaka | (3555) |
| Yoshikane Mizuno | 52 | 1954–pres. | Y. Mizuno | (4541) |
| Lawrence Alan Molnar | 116 | 1959–pres. | L. A. MolnarL. Molnar | (8245) |
| Zdeněk Moravec | 98 | 1968–pres. | Z. Moravec | — |
| Hiroshi Mori | 45 | 1958–pres. | H. Mori | (19190) |
| Patrick M. Motl | 9 | n.a. | P. M. Motl | — |
| Antonín Mrkos | 273 | 1918–1996 | A. Mrkos | (1832) |
| Jean Mueller | 13 | 1950–pres. | J. E. Mueller | (4031) |
| Masaru Mukai | 13 | 1949–pres. | M. Mukai | — |
| John Derral Mulholland | 1 | 1934–2008 | J. D. Mulholland | — |
| Ulisse Munari | 49 | 1960–pres. | U. Munari | (7599) |
| Osamu Muramatsu | 73 | 1949–pres. | O. Muramatsu | (5606) |
| Akimasa Nakamura | 112 | 1961–pres. | A. Nakamura | (10633) |
| Grigory Neujmin | 74 | 1885–1946 | G. N. Neujmin | (1129) |
| Phil Nicholson | 1 | 1951–pres. | P. Nicholson | (7220) |
| Seth Barnes Nicholson | 2 | 1891–1963 | S. B. Nicholson | (1831) |
| Tsuneo Niijima | 32 | 1955–pres. | T. Niijima | (5507) |
| Jaume Nomen | 55 | 1960–pres. | J. Nomen | (56561) |
| Toshiro Nomura | 13 | 1954–pres. | T. Nomura | (6559) |
| Artyom Novichonok | 40 | 1988–pres. | A. NovichonokA. O. Novichonok | — |
| Erwin Obermair | 7 | 1946–2017 | E. Obermair | (9236) |
| Warren B. Offutt | 18 | 1928–2017 | W. Offutt | (7639) |
| Okuro Oikawa | 8 | 1896–1980 | O. Oikawa | (2667) |
| Gregory Wayne Ojakangas | 2 | n.a. | G. Ojakangas | — |
| Arto Oksanen | 1 | n.a. | A. Oksanen | — |
| Tomimaru Okuni | 130 | 1931–pres. | T. Okuni | (7769) |
| Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers | 2 | 1758–1840 | H. W. Olbers | (1002) |
| C. Michelle Olmstead | 46 | 1969–pres. | C. M. Olmstead | (3287) |
| José Luis Ortiz Moreno | 8 | 1967–pres. | J. L. Ortiz | (4436) |
| Michel Ory | 364 | 1966–pres. | M. OryM. Ory | (67979) |
| Yoshiaki Oshima | 61 | 1952–pres. | Y. Oshima | (5592) |
| Liisi Oterma | 54 | 1915–2001 | L. Oterma | (1529) |
| Satoru Otomo | 148 | 1957–pres. | S. Otomo | (3911) |
| Rafael Pacheco | 57 | 1954–pres. | R. Pacheco | (25001) |
| Johann Palisa | 122 | 1848–1925 | J. Palisa | (914) |
| André Patry | 9 | 1902–1967 | A. Patry | (1601) |
| Thierry Pauwels | 161 | 1957–pres. | T. Pauwels | (12761) |
| Fernando Pedichini | 1 | n.a. | F. Pedichini | — |
| Henri Joseph Anastase Perrotin | 6 | 1845–1904 | J. Perrotin | (1515) |
| Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters | 48 | 1813–1890 | C. H. F. Peters | (100007) |
| George Henry Peters | 3 | 1863–1947 | G. H. Peters | — |
| Giuseppe Piazzi | 1 | 1746–1826 | G. Piazzi | (1000) |
| Guido Pizarro (astronomer) | 8 | n.a. | G. Pizarro | (4609) |
| John Platt | 2 | 1963–pres. | J. Platt | — |
| N. R. Pogson | 8 | 1829–1891 | N. R. Pogson | (1830) |
| Christian Pollas | 26 | 1947–pres. | C. Pollas | (4892) |
| Hejno Iogannović Potter | 1 | 1929–2007 | H. Potter | (7320) |
| Petr Pravec | 372 | 1967–pres. | P. Pravec | (4790) |
| Milorad B. Protić | 7 | 1911–2001 | M. B. Protitch | (22278) |
| Herbert Raab | 1 | 1969–pres. | H. Raab | (3184) |
| David L. Rabinowitz | 52 | 1960–pres. | D. L. RabinowitzD. Rabinowitz | (5040) |
| Karl Wilhelm Reinmuth | 395 | 1892–1979 | K. Reinmuth | (1111) |
| Guy Reiss | 5 | 1904–1964 | G. Reiss | (1577) |
| Joseph Rheden | 3 | 1873–1946 | J. Rheden | — |
| Wolfgang Ries | 206 | 1968–pres. | W. Ries | (266887) |
| Fernand Rigaux | 8 | 1905–1962 | F. Rigaux | (19911) |
| Claudine Rinner | 393 | 1965–pres. | C. RinnerC. Rinner | (23999) |
| Elizabeth Roemer | 2 | 1929–2016 | E. Roemer | (1657) |
| Brian P. Roman | 11 | n.a. | B. Roman | (4575) |
| René Roy (astronomer) | 9 | 1938–pres. | R. Roy | (14533) |
| Kenneth S. Russell | 6 | n.a. | K. S. Russell | (3714) |
| Allan Sandage | 1 | 1926–2010 | A. R. Sandage | (9963) |
| Hans-Ullrich Sandig | 1 | 1909–1979 | H.-U. Sandig | — |
| Luigi Sannino | 2 | 1981–pres. | L. Sannino | (58691) |
| Krisztián Sárneczky | 1371 | 1974–pres. | K. SarneczkyK. SárneczkyK. SarneczkyK. S\'arneczky | (10258) |
| Naoto Satō | 143 | 1953–pres. | N. Sato | (6025) |
| Ann Savage | 1 | 1946–2017 | A. Savage | — |
| Alexandre Schaumasse | 2 | 1882–1958 | A. Schaumasse | (1797) |
| Giovanni Schiaparelli | 1 | 1835–1910 | G. Schiaparelli | (4062) |
| Lutz D. Schmadel | 244 | 1942–2016 | L. D. SchmadelL.D. Schmadel | (2234) |
| Brian Schmidt | 2 | 1967–pres. | B. Schmidt | (233292) |
| Alfred Schmitt | 4 | 1907–1973 | A. Schmitt | (1617) |
| Hans Scholl | 64 | 1942–pres. | H. Scholl | (2959) |
| Richard Schorr | 2 | 1867–1951 | R. Schorr | (1235) |
| Joachim Schubart | 2 | 1928–pres. | J. Schubart | (1911) |
| Lipót Schulhof | 1 | 1847–1921 | L. Schulhof | (2384) |
| Hans-Emil Schuster | 25 | 1934–pres. | H.-E. Schuster | (2018) |
| Erwin Schwab | 113 | 1964–pres. | E. Schwab | (185638) |
| Megan Schwamb | 32 | 1984–pres. | M. E. SchwambM. Schwamb | (11814) |
| Michael B. Schwartz | 653 | 1950–pres. | M. Schwartz | (13820) |
| Friedrich Karl Arnold Schwassmann | 22 | 1870–1964 | A. Schwassmann | (989) |
| George Mary Searle | 1 | 1839–1918 | G. Searle | — |
| William Lawrence Sebok | 2 | n.a. | W. Sebok | — |
| Sadao Sei | 1 | n.a. | S. Sei | — |
| Nalin Samarasinha | 2 | 1958–pres. | N. Samarasinha | (12871) |
| Tsutomu Seki | 225 | 1930–pres. | T. Seki | (3426) |
| Grigory Shajn | 3 | 1892–1956 | G. Shajn | (1648) |
| Pelageya Shajn | 19 | 1894–1956 | P. F. Shajn | (1190), (1648) |
| Scott S. Sheppard | 41 | 1977–pres. | S. S. SheppardS. Sheppard | (17898) |
| Yoshisada Shimizu | 311 | 1943–pres. | Y. Shimizu | (7300) |
| Vladimir Shkodrov | 7 | 1930–2010 | V. G. ShkodrovV. Shkodrov | (4364) |
| Carolyn S. Shoemaker | 380 | 1929–2021 | C. S. Shoemaker | (4446) |
| Eugene M. Shoemaker | 188 | 1928–1997 | E. M. Shoemaker | (2074) |
| Piero Sicoli | 43 | 1954–pres. | P. Sicoli | (7866) |
| Stephen Singer-Brewster | 7 | 1945–pres. | S. Singer-BrewsterS. C. Brewster | (10315) |
| Brigitta Sipőcz | 52 | 1984–pres. | B. SipoczB. SipőczB. Sip\ Hocz | — |
| Brian A. Skiff | 67 | n.a. | B. A. Skiff | (2554) |
| Tamara Smirnova | 135 | 1935–2001 | T. M. Smirnova | (5540) |
| Giovanni Sostero | 3 | 1964–2012 | G. Sostero | (9878) |
| Guy Soulié | 2 | 1920–pres. | G. Soulie | (13226) |
| Timothy B. Spahr | 63 | 1970–pres. | T. B. Spahr | (2975) |
| Stefano Sposetti | 172 | 1958–pres. | S. Sposetti | (22354) |
| Tom Stafford | 40 | n.a. | T. Stafford | — |
| Anton Staus | 1 | 1872–1955 | A. Staus | — |
| Duncan Steel | 12 | 1955–pres. | D. I. Steel | (4713) |
| Édouard Stephan | 2 | 1837–1923 | E. Stephan | — |
| DeLisle Stewart | 1 | 1870–1941 | D. Stewart | — |
| Jürgen Stock | 3 | 1923–2004 | J. Stock | (4388) |
| Gyula Strommer | 1 | 1920–1995 | G. Strommer | (254876) |
| Otto Struve | 2 | 1897–1963 | O. Struve | (2227) |
| Matsuo Sugano | 4 | 1939–pres. | M. Sugano | (5872) |
| Atsushi Sugie | 122 | n.a. | A. Sugie | (3957) |
| Rafael Suvanto | 1 | 1909–1940 | R. Suvanto | (1927) |
| Kenzo Suzuki | 42 | 1950–pres. | K. Suzuki | (5526) |
| Shōhei Suzuki | 52 | n.a. | S. Suzuki | — |
| Frédéric Sy | 2 | 1861–1917 | F. Sy | (1714) |
| Atsushi Takahashi | 22 | 1965–pres. | A. Takahashi | (4842) |
| Wilhelm Tempel | 5 | 1821–1889 | E. W. Tempel | (3808) |
| Luciano Tesi | 201 | 1931–pres. | L. Tesi | (15817) |
| Augusto Testa | 31 | 1950–pres. | A. Testa | (11667) |
| Holger Thiele | 4 | 1878–1946 | H. Thiele | (1586) |
| David J. Tholen | 105 | 1955–pres. | D. J. Tholen | (3255) |
| Norman G. Thomas | 55 | 1930–pres. | N. G. Thomas | (2555) |
| Jana Tichá | 123 | 1965–pres. | J. TichaJ. TicháJ. Tich\'a | (5757) |
| Miloš Tichý | 251 | 1966–pres. | M. TichyM. TichýM. Tich\'y | (3337) |
| Friedrich Tietjen | 1 | 1832–1895 | F. Tietjen | (2158) |
| Clyde Tombaugh | 15 | 1906–1997 | C. W. Tombaugh | (1604) |
| Maura Tombelli | 212 | 1952–pres. | M. Tombelli | (9904) |
| Kōichirō Tomita | 9 | 1925–2006 | K. Tomita | (2391) |
| John L. Tonry | 2 | 1953–pres. | J. L. Tonry | (40919) |
| Carlos Torres | 38 | 1929–2011 | C. Torres | (1769) |
| Juraj Tóth | 16 | 1975–pres. | J. Toth | (24976) |
| Suzanne W. Tourtellotte | 15 | 1945–2013 | S. Tourtellotte | — |
| Chad Trujillo | 77 | 1973–pres. | C. A. TrujilloC. TrujilloC. W. Trujilloand Trujillo | (12101) |
| Roy A. Tucker | 805 | 1951–pres. | R. A. TuckerR. TuckerR.A. Tucker | (10914) |
| Horace Parnell Tuttle | 2 | 1837–1923 | H. P. Tuttle | (5036) |
| Andrzej Udalski | 2 | 1957–pres. | A. Udalski | — |
| Seiji Ueda | 705 | 1952–pres. | S. Ueda | (4676) |
| Takeshi Urata | 642 | 1947–2012 | T. Urata | (3722) |
| Fumiaki Uto | 21 | n.a. | F. Uto | — |
| Antonio Vagnozzi | 47 | 1950–pres. | A. Vagnozzi | (7529) |
| Marja Väisälä | 2 | 1916–2011 | M. Vaisala | — |
| Yrjö Väisälä | 128 | 1891–1971 | Y. Vaisala | (1573), (2804) |
| George Van Biesbroeck | 16 | 1880–1974 | G. Van Biesbroeck | (1781) |
| Hendrik van Gent | 39 | 1899–1947 | H. van Gent | (1666) |
| Cornelis Johannes van Houten | 4718 | 1920–2002 | C. J. van Houten | (1673) |
| Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld | 4719 | 1921–2015 | I. van Houten-GroeneveldI. Groeneveld | (1674) |
| Andrew Vanden Heuvel | 6 | n.a. | A. Vanden HeuvelA. V. Heuvel | — |
| Zdeňka Vávrová | 116 | 1945–pres. | Z. Vavrova | (3364) |
| Walter Augustin Villiger | 1 | 1872–1938 | W. Villiger | (1310) |
| George R. Viscome | 33 | 1956–pres. | G. R. Viscome | (6183) |
| Heinrich Vogt | 1 | 1890–1968 | H. Vogt | (1439) |
| Luigi Volta | 5 | 1876–1952 | L. Volta | (383622) |
| Tomáš Vorobjov | 42 | 1984–pres. | T. Vorobjov | (4858) |
| Arno Arthur Wachmann | 3 | 1902–1990 | A. Wachmann | (1704) |
| Duncan Waldron | 2 | n.a. | J. D. Waldron | — |
| Åke Wallenquist | 1 | 1904–1994 | A. A. E. Wallenquist | (2114) |
| Brian D. Warner | 3 | 1952–pres. | B. D. Warner | (8734) |
| Kazuro Watanabe | 671 | 1955–pres. | K. Watanabe | (4155) |
| James Craig Watson | 22 | 1838–1880 | J. C. Watson | (729) |
| Robert Weber | 8 | 1926–2008 | R. Weber | (6181) |
| Wolfgang Wenzel (astronomer) | 1 | 1929–2021 | W. Wenzel | (58607) |
| Richard Martin West | 40 | 1941–pres. | R. M. West | (2022) |
| Fred Lawrence Whipple | 1 | 1906–2004 | F. L. Whipple | (1940) |
| Paul Wiegert | 683 | 1967–pres. | P. A. Wiegert | (15068) |
| Patrick Wiggins | 5 | 1949–pres. | P. Wiggins | (4099) |
| Paul Wild | 94 | 1925–2014 | P. Wild | (1941) |
| Albert George Wilson | 5 | 1918–2012 | A. G. Wilson | (4015) |
| Carl A. Wirtanen | 8 | 1910–1990 | C. A. Wirtanen | (2044) |
| Carl Gustav Witt | 2 | 1866–1946 | G. Witt | (2732) |
| Marek Wolf | 20 | 1957–pres. | M. Wolf | — |
| Max Wolf | 248 | 1863–1932 | M. F. Wolf | (827) |
| Harry Edwin Wood | 12 | 1881–1946 | H. E. Wood | (1660) |
| Gao Xing | 26 | 1974–pres. | X. Gao | (204710) |
| Masayuki Yanai | 27 | 1959–pres. | M. Yanai | (4260) |
| Quanzhi Ye | 215 | 1988–pres | Q. YeQ.-z. YeQ.-Z. Ye | (10280) |
| William Kwong Yu Yeung | 2094 | 1960–pres. | W. K. Y. YeungW. K. Yeung | (40776) |
| James Whitney Young | 310 | 1941–pres. | J. W. YoungJ. Young | (2874) |
| Vincenzo Zappalà | 9 | 1945–pres. | V. Zappala | (2813) |
| Lyudmila Zhuravleva | 213 | 1946–pres. | L. V. Zhuravleva | (26087) |
| Frank B. Zoltowski | 230 | 1957–pres. | F. B. Zoltowski | (18292) |
| Anna N. Żytkow | 7 | 1947–pres. | A. Zytkow | — |
Discovering institutions
Many discoveries are credited to an institution, like an observatory, rather than to one or several individuals.
The table consist of the following fields:
- Institution: links to the corresponding article about the discovering observatory on Wikipedia.
- Discoveries: displays the total number of discovered and co-discovered minor planets made by the observatory (numbered bodies only). It links to the corresponding "Discovery by..." category, which are subcategories of Category:Astronomical discoveries by institution. These categories do not contain discoveries for which no page on Wikipedia exists. Observatories with only a few discoveries sometimes do not have their own discovery-category (redlinks). For those who have discovered only one single minor planet, the link in the discovery column directly points to the corresponding entry in the list of minor planets.
- Observatory code: displays the alphanumeric IAU code(s) for the institution.
- Name(s) at MPC: displays the name of the observatory as used by the MPC. Some institutions have multiple names due to inconsistencies and typos.
Only observatories/institutions that are notable and have their own Wikipedia article are included.
See also
- List of observatory codes, a list of all observatories who have reported data to the Minor Planet Center
- Observations of small Solar System bodies
References
- ^"Minor Planet Discoverers (by number)". Minor Planet Center. 22 October 2025. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
External links
- Data Available from the Minor Planet Center, (File: "NumberedMPs.txt", 75 MB as of October 2025)
- Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets, Minor Planet Center
