Asteroids named after people called Alan
👶 Alan as a baby name🐶 Alan as a dog name
(3695) Fiala
Alan D. Fiala (b. 1942) is an expert on predicting and observing eclipses, with special application to precise measurement of the solar radius. A staff astronomer at the U.S. Naval Observatory since 1962, he has been Chief of the U.S. Nautical Almanac Office since 1996. This naming is on the occasion of his retirement.Discovered 21 October 1973 by H. L. Giclas, Anderson Mesa
(6227) Alanrubin
Alan Rubin (b. 1953), a research geochemist at the University of California in Los Angeles, works on a wide variety of topics such as the origin of chondrules and shock processes in meteorites. He is best known for studying the geologic processes that altered the parent bodies of chondritic meteorites.Discovered 2 March 1981 by S. J. Bus, Siding Spring
(6860) Sims
Named in honor of Alan Sims (1920-1995), a naval officer who moved to Dublin in 1953 and became chairman of the Dublin Astronomy Association. On his retirement in 1983 he moved to Bath, where he took an active part in the William Herschel Society, serving first as secretary and later as vice chairman. He was also editor of the society's bulletin. Historians and librarians around the world corresponded with him, as he answered queries about the Herschels. Named by the discoverers following suggestions by F. Ring and S. Kimura.Discovered 11 February 1991 by Otomo, S., Muramatsu, O., Kiyosato
(7160) Tokunaga
University of Hawaii astronomer Alan T. Tokunaga (b. 1949) specializes in studies of star formation and solar system astronomy and in the development of infrared instrumentation. Since Apr. 2000 he has served as division chief for the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility on Mauna Kea.Discovered 24 October 1981 by S. J. Bus, Palomar
(7737) Sirrah
Named in honor of Alan William Harris (b. 1952), British astronomer, now at the DLR Institute of Planetary Exploration, Berlin. Harris has made both ground-based and space-based (ISO) radiometric observations of minor planets, concentrating especially on near-Earth objects, and he has developed improved fitting techniques to relate observed fluxes to diameters and albedos. The name chosen is “Harris” spelled backwards, to distinguish from another Harris of the exact same name. Name suggested and citation prepared by the other A. W. Harris.Discovered 5 November 1981 by E. Bowell, Anderson Mesa
(8110) Heath
Alan W. Heath (b. 1931) is a British planetary observer. He was director of the British Astronomical Association's Saturn section during 1964-1970 and 1976-1994. He has also served the BAA as assistant director of the Jupiter section and secretary of the Lunar section. He was awarded the BAA's Goodacre Medal in 1986.Discovered 27 February 1995 by T. Kobayashi, Oizumi
(9250) Chamberlin
Named in honor of Alan B. Chamberlin, a senior engineer within the Navigation and Flight Mechanics Section of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Since joining the staff at JPL in 1996, Alan has shown his expertise in astronomical observing and celestial mechanics. His research work has centered on the search for gaseous emissions from suspected defunct comets and the uncertainties associated with the close approaches to the earth of the so-called potentially hazardous objects. For the New Millennium Deep Space One spacecraft that was launched on 1998 Oct. 25, Alan is responsible for the ephemeris development for both the mission targets and the two dozen well-observed minor planets that will be used by this spacecraft to navigate autonomously to its targets.Discovered 24 September 1960 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T., Palomar
(9291) Alanburdick
Alan Burdick (b. 1965), a student of the natural world, is author of numerous popular magazine articles, including one about his efforts to get something in the universe named after him. This in turn helped to land him a writing job at the new Rose Center at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.Discovered 17 August 1982 by Oak Ridge Observatory, Harvard
(10113) Alantitle
Alan M. Title (b. 1938) is an American physicist who participated in the Apollo Telescope Mount investigation on Skylab 2 in 1973. He developed solar telescopes and has served the COSPAR solar-physics and Earth-science communities, contributing to the Space Weather and the Small Satellite COSPAR roadmaps.Discovered 6 August 1992 by H. E. Holt, Palomar
(10204) Turing
Named in memory of Alan Mathison Turing (1912–1954), English mathematician and logician, a pioneer in the study of computability. In a fundamental paper published in 1936, he introduced the concept of an abstract computing machine and showed how such a machine can be programmed to simulate the behavior of any other computing device. This concept, now referred to as a “universal Turing machine”, was introduced years before the advent of programmable computers, and it was used to demonstrate the existence of noncomputable numbers and undecidable mathematical propositions.Discovered 1 August 1997 by P. G. Comba, Prescott
(10373) MacRobert
For two decades the versatile writing of Alan MacRobert (b. 1951) has introduced Sky & Telescope readers to everything from the joys of simple stargazing to the complex worlds of astrophysics and cosmology. Many of his guided sky tours are collected in Star-Hopping for Backyard Astronomers.Discovered 14 March 1996 by D. di Cicco, Sudbury
(12431) Webster
Alan Reginald Webster (b. 1939), a professor in the department of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Western Ontario, has research interests that include meteor astronomy.Discovered 18 December 1995 by Spacewatch, Kitt Peak
(13410) Arhale
Alan R. Hale (b. 1941) joined with Tom Johnson in the mid-1960s in the creation and development of the Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope and its ultimate production. In this he was instrumental in bringing astronomy to many schools and ordinary people over the years.Discovered 29 October 1999 by CSS, Catalina
(14158) Alananderson
Alan Anderson mentored a finalist in the 2002 Discovery Channel Youth Science Challenge (DCYSC), a middle school science competition. He teaches at the C.W. Ruckel Middle School, Niceville, Florida.Discovered 26 September 1998 by LINEAR, Socorro
(14333) Alanfischer
Alan Fischer (b. 1957) is an American journalist and the first Public Information Officer of the Planetary Science Institute. He has written about research results of more than 100 scientists, communicating the excitement of their work to the public and advancing science literacy. He is a strong advocate for the engagement of scientists with the public.Discovered 1 March 1981 by S. J. Bus, Siding Spring
(15131) Alanalda
Alan Alda (b. 1936) is an American actor, director, screenwriter and author. Best known as Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce in the TV series M∗A∗S∗H, Alda has won numerous awards for his work including 6 Emmys and 6 Golden Globes. Alda hosted the acclaimed PBS series Scientific American Frontiers from 1993 to 2005.Discovered 10 March 2000 by Spacewatch, Kitt Peak
(16975) Delamere
W. Alan Delamere (b. 1935), recently retired from Ball Aerospace and Technology, has made major contributions to cometary science, ranging from management of the Halley multicolor camera on the Giotto mission to his insightful approach to the original design of the Deep Impact mission.Discovered 27 December 1998 by LONEOS, Anderson Mesa
(17225) Alanschorn
Named in honor of Alan Schorn for mentoring a finalist in the 2002 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors. Schorn is a teacher at the John L. Miller - Great Neck North High School, Great Neck, New York.Discovered 2 February 2000 by LINEAR, Socorro
(17638) Sualan
Sue and Alan French live in Scotia, New York. Both are avid amateur astronomers, telescope builders and writers who have for many years brought the wonders of astronomy to the public.Discovered 11 August 1996 by G. R. Viscome, Rand
(20259) Alanhoffman
Alan Hoffman is a pioneer in infrared detectors. He has shared his IR expertise via his annual course, which has trained a generation of scientists and engineers.Discovered 24 March 1998 by ODAS, Caussols
(20341) Alanstack
Alan Stack mentored a finalist in the 2004 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors. He teaches at the Midwood High School, Brooklyn, New York.Discovered 21 April 1998 by LINEAR, Socorro
(21330) Alanwhitman
Alan Douglas Whitman (b. 1946) is a Canadian amateur astronomer and former weather service officer. He is a skillful observer and has written and lectured widely. Name suggested by R. and P. Jedicke.Discovered 11 January 1997 by Spacewatch, Kitt Peak
(24898) Alanholmes
Alan W. Holmes (b. 1950) is an amateur astronomer in the γ-ray bursts field at the Santa Barbara Astronomical Group and optical engineer. He co-founded a small CCD brand that in 1991 developed star tracking equipment, sparking the CCD revolution in the world of amateur astronomy.Discovered 14 January 1997 by Farra d'Isonzo, Farra d'Isonzo
(25158) Berman
Alan Berman (b. 1925) is a physicist who played a seminal role in developing modern electronic communications systems. In 15 years as Director of Research at the US Naval Research Laboratory, he oversaw development of the Global Positioning System (GPS) and advanced satellite communications.Discovered 17 September 1998 by LONEOS, Anderson Mesa
(25979) Alansage
Alan Robert Sage (b. 1992) is a finalist in the 2010 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for his plant sciences project. He attends the Stuyvesant High School, New York, New York.Discovered 18 March 2001 by LINEAR, Socorro
(30097) Traino
Alan Traino (b. 1958) is a board member of the Rockland Astronomy Club and the organizer of the annual North East Astronomy Forum as well as the Arizona Science and Astronomy Expo. In his free time he is a caver with The Northeastern Cave Conservancy and the National Speleological Society.Discovered 4 March 2000 by CSS, Catalina
(45299) Stivell
Alan Stivell (Alan Cochevelou, b. 1944) is a French and Breton musician. The major influence in his music is Celtic, based mainly on the rebirth of the Celtic harp. His records include Telenn Geltiek, Renaissance de la harpe celtique and Symphonie Celtique.Discovered 6 January 2000 by M. Tichy, Klet
(78434) Dyer
Alan Dyer (b. 1953) is program producer at the Calgary Science Centre and one of Canada's best-known astronomy writers. He is widely regarded as an authority on commercial telescopes, and his evaluations appear regularly in major North American astronomy magazines. He is also an accomplished astrophotographer.Discovered 17 August 2002 by A. Lowe, Palomar
(88270) Alanhoward
Alan D. Howard (b. 1939) is an American planetary scientist. He conducted critical and insightful geologic research on bodies across the solar system. Alan investigated Earth, Mars, the icy satellites of the giant planets, and Pluto. He was part of the NASA New Horizons mission team.Discovered 24 May 2001 by M. W. Buie, Cerro Tololo
(117565) Alanstrauss
Alan Strauss (b. 1969) is an American educator. As Director of the University of Arizona Mt. Lemmon Sky Center and Sky School (2012–2023), he led the expansion of astronomical public outreach and K-12 formal STEM education programs at the facility. In 2023 he became the Head of Education and Outreach with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory.Discovered 3 March 2005 by CSS, Catalina
(327030) Alanmaclure
Alan McClure (1929-2005) was an exceptional amateur astronomer who built a reputation of taking stunning photographic images of comets that graced the pages and covers of astronomy magazines and other publications during the 1950s--70s, inspiring a generation of astrophotographers.Discovered 12 September 2004 by Stony Ridge, Stony Ridge
(342764) Alantitus
Alan Titus (b. 1964) is an American paleontologist specializing in ammonites. He has also been instrumental in finding and describing new species of dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous subcontinent of Laramidia.Discovered 26 October 2008 by Mt. Lemmon Survey, Mount Lemmon