How Are Asteroids Named?

This article from Sky & Telescope titled "How Are Asteroids Named?" provides an overview of the process of naming asteroids. It explains that asteroids are small rocky bodies that orbit the Sun and are remnants of the planet formation that occurred billions of years ago. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) defines asteroids as "small solar system bodies" and sets rules for their naming, including a limit of 16 characters, preference for one-word names, and avoidance of offensive or political names. The article also discusses the history of asteroid discoveries and the process of assigning provisional designations and sequential numbers to newly discovered asteroids. It concludes by mentioning that over 24,000 asteroids have received names, including those named after influential people, ancient gods, and playful names. [Extracted from the article]