Asteroids named after people called Charles
👶 Charles as a baby name🐶 Charles as a dog name🐱 Charles as a cat name
(1991) Darwin
Named in memory of Charles Darwin (1809-1882), the English naturalist who first established the theory of organic evolution; much of his research was done in Argentina, and he crossed the Andes at a pass located some 100 km south of El Leoncito. This planet also honors his second son, George Darwin (1845-1912), the astronomer noted for his pioneering application of detailed dynamical analyses to problems of cosmogony and geology.Discovered 6 May 1967 by Cesco, C. U., Klemola, A. R., El Leoncito
(4603) Bertaud
Named in honor of Charles Bertaud, under whose leadership at Meudon the discoverer began his astronomical work. Well known as an observer of comets, supernovae and particular stars, he was one of the initiators of the project that led to the construction of Schmidt telescope at Caussols.Discovered 25 November 1986 by CERGA, Caussols
(4939) Scovil
Charles E. Scovil (b. 1928) is an amateur astronomer and curator of the Stamford Observatory in Connecticut. He is the compiler of the AAVSO Variable Star Atlas and, with C. Papadopoulos, the northern part of the True Visual Magnitude Photographic Star Atlas.Discovered 27 August 1986 by H. Debehogne, La Silla
(5202) Charleseliot
Charles William Eliot (1834-1926) was an American chemist and the 21st President of Harvard College (1869-1909). He oversaw the growth of the school into a world-renowned research institution, and played a key role in reforming American higher education by pioneering standardized entrance exams and elective courses.Discovered 5 December 1983 by A. Mrkos, Klet
(7011) Worley
Named in memory of Charles Edmund Worley (1935-1997), indefatigable observer and cataloguer of double-star positions. Following two years at the Lick Observatory, he was on the staff of the U.S. Naval Observatory from 1961. His work has significantly enhanced our knowledge of the motion of double-star and multiple-star systems and of stellar masses. Name suggested by H. Eichhorn.Discovered 21 September 1987 by E. Bowell, Anderson Mesa
(7781) Townsend
Named in honor of Charles Townsend, a retired laser physicist and community-college instructor of astronomy and mathematics, and a former president of the Ventura County Astronomical Society and the Western Amateur Astronomers. He has co-authored two books, Patrolling Night Skies (1984) and Observational Astronomy (1989), the latter being used to teach an advanced astronomy course at Moorpark College. One of his students, John E. Rogers, is extremely grateful for Townsend's encouragement and leadership. This led to the existence of the Camarillo Observatory, which has contributed to the astrometry of near-Earth objects and comets generally since 1992.Discovered 19 August 1993 by E. F. Helin, Palomar
(9714) Piazzismyth
Charles Piazzi Smyth (1819–1900) spent a decade in South Africa working on positional astronomy and geodesy, before taking up the post as the 2nd Astronomer Royal for Scotland. He pioneered astronomical site testing in Tenerife and other high altitudes and contributed to the development of spectroscopy, especially of the Sun.Discovered 1 June 1975 by R. H. McNaught, Siding Spring
(10320) Reiland
Charles Thomas Reiland (b. 1946), for many years president of the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh, initiated the Wagman Observatory, observed in the Allegheny Observatory's astrometry program and tirelessly promoted public interest in astronomy. The name was suggested by T. P. Kohman.Discovered 14 October 1990 by E. F. Helin, Palomar
(11356) Chuckjones
Charles M. Jones (b. 1912) is an animator and director known to many as the definitive Warner Brothers cartoon director. During his ongoing career, which spans over seven decades, he has created such memorable characters as Marvin the Martian, Pepé Le Pew and the Road Runner.Discovered 18 December 1997 by F. B. Zoltowski, Woomera
(11778) Kingsford Smith
Charles E. Kingsford Smith (1897–1935) was an Australian pilot who flew from America to Australia across the Pacific (1928) and from Europe to America from east to west (1930). Both flights were done with the Fokker F VII Southern Cross. He died when his plane went down over the Indian Ocean near Burma.Discovered 16 October 1977 by van Houten, C. J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., Gehrels, T., Palomar
(11849) Fauvel
Charles Fauvel (1904-1979) was a French aviator who in 1933 invented the flying wing. He solved the problem of the longitudinal stability of a double-curved wing by arranging for the center of gravity to be just ahead of one-quarter of the total length of the wing. The name was suggested by R. Josse.Discovered 15 February 1988 by E. W. Elst, La Silla
(12259) Szukalski
Polish-born sculptor Charles Albert Szukalski (1945-2000), working in Antwerp, sometimes used very eccentric means for establishing his work. One of his foremost pieces of art concerns “La Cena”, a monument of 13 statues that has been erected in the Nevada desert.Discovered 26 September 1989 by E. W. Elst, La Silla
(13801) Kohlhase
Charles Kohlhase (b. 1935) has been a pioneer in the design, development and execution of planetary missions for more than four decades at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He twice received NASA's Outstanding Leadership Medal for the epic Voyager Grand Tour mission to the outer planets.Discovered 11 November 1998 by LONEOS, Anderson Mesa
(15969) Charlesgreen
Charles Green (1735-1771) was the official astronomer on Cook's expedition aboard the Endeavour to Tahiti to observe the 1769 transit of Venus. After the successful observation of the event, the expedition left Tahiti and sailed for Australia and Jakarta. In Batavia Green caught malaria and was buried at sea.Discovered 1 March 1998 by E. W. Elst, La Silla
(16155) Buddy
Charles Hardin Holley (Buddy Holly, 1936-1959), was a singer/songwriter from Lubbock, Texas, who was clearly the brightest star since Elvis when, at the age of 22, he was tragically killed in a plane crash. His life has been celebrated on film and in the long running musical Buddy. His songs remain as timeless as ever.Discovered 3 January 2000 by J. Broughton, Reedy Creek
(16275) Charlesma
Charles Ma (b. 2002) was awarded second place in the 2019 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for his biomedical engineering team project. He attended the Montgomery High School, Skillman , New Jersey, U.S.A.Discovered 6 May 2000 by LINEAR, Socorro
(18611) Baudelaire
French poet Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867) was one of the major innovators of French literature. His Les Fleurs du Mal (1857) is considered to rank with the finest of French poetry. Baudelaire is particularly known for his excellent translations of Poe's Tales, a writer whose style much resembled his own.Discovered 6 February 1998 by E. W. Elst, La Silla
(19444) Addicott
Charles Michael Addicott (b. 1987) was awarded fourth place in the 2003 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for his mathematics project. He attends the Wellington High School, Wellington, Florida, U.S.A.Discovered 31 March 1998 by LINEAR, Socorro
(20135) Juels
Charles W. Juels (b. 1944) of Fountain Hills, Arizona, is a public health physician/psychiatrist and an amateur astronomer who discovered and demonstrated that hunting minor planets can be an addictive activity. In only a year and a half he has been credited with the discovery of 65 numbered objects.Discovered 7 May 1996 by P. G. Comba, Prescott
(20335) Charmartell
Charles Martell mentored a finalist in the 2004 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors. He teaches at the Ulysses S. Grant High School, Portland, Oregon.Discovered 21 April 1998 by LINEAR, Socorro
(20467) Hibbitts
Charles A. Hibbitts (b. 1967), of Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, studies the composition of icy bodies using near infrared spectroscopy.Discovered 20 June 1999 by LONEOS, Anderson Mesa
(20998) Houzeaudelehaie
Charles Auguste Benjamin Hippolyte Houzeau de Lehaie (1832–1922) was the younger brother of Belgian astronomer and geodetic surveyor Jean-Charles Houzeau. During the two-decades long absence of his brother, Auguste served as his tireless contributor, proofreader and technical editor of his many publications and books.Discovered 26 August 1986 by H. Debehogne, La Silla
(23450) Birkenstock
Charles Birkenstock (c. 1860-1928) was the director of the Bureau Central Météorique (founded in 1910) and the Société astronomique d´Anvers (founded in 1905). In the Gazette Astronomique, he published observations on meteors regularly.Discovered 13 February 1988 by E. W. Elst, La Silla
(24268) Charconley
Charles Conley mentored a finalist in the 2008 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors. He teaches at the Texas Academy of Mathematics & Science, Denton, Texas.Discovered 8 December 1999 by LINEAR, Socorro
(24998) Hermite
Charles Hermite (1822-1901) was a very versatile French analyst and algebraist. He solved the quintic equations by means of elliptic functions, discovered a class of orthogonal polynomials that bear his name and proved the transcendence of e, the base of the natural logarithms.Discovered 28 July 1998 by P. G. Comba, Prescott
(25915) Charlesmcguire
Charles J. McGuire (b. 1932) is a retired aerospace engineer from the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo era, and is the grandfather of planetary scientist Elisabeth R. Adams.Discovered 2 February 2001 by LONEOS, Anderson Mesa
(26194) Chasolivier
Charles P. Olivier (1884-1975) was an American astronomer who, with William Denning in England, developed the scientific visual study of meteors. He founded the American Meteor Society in 1911 and led the AMS for decades. He encouraged many young observers, including the discoverer, J. Montani.Discovered 10 February 1997 by Spacewatch, Kitt Peak
(26382) Charlieduke
Charles Moss “Charlie” Duke, Jr. (b. 1935) is a retired American astronaut, test pilot and U.S. Air Force officer. In 1972 he became the 10th and youngest person to walk on the Moon, serving as lunar module pilot for the Apollo 16 mission.Discovered 8 June 1999 by LONEOS, Anderson Mesa
(26412) Charlesyu
Charles Cheng Yu (b. 1994) was awarded first place in the 2010 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for his cellular- and molecular-biology team project. He attends the Wheatley School, Old Westbury, New York, U.S.A.Discovered 7 December 1999 by LINEAR, Socorro
(27532) Buchwald-Wright
Charles von Buchwald-Wright (b. 1986) is Lowell Observatory's IT Systems and Network Administrator. He maintains infrastructure for more than 100 staff, from scientists to engineers to educators. He also ensures smooth functioning of the computing resources required to operate the telescopes.Discovered 26 April 2000 by LONEOS, Anderson Mesa
(28653) Charliebrucker
Charles F. Brucker mentored a finalist in the 2013 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high-school seniors. He teaches at the Mission San Jose High School, Fremont, California.Discovered 5 April 2000 by LINEAR, Socorro
(30035) Charlesliu
Charles Xin Liu (b. 1996) is a finalist in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search, a science competition for high school seniors, for his bioinformatics and genomics project. He attends the Henry M. Gunn High School, Palo Alto, California.Discovered 29 February 2000 by LINEAR, Socorro
(30277) Charlesgulian
Charles Gulian (b. 1997) is a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors, for his space science project. He attends the Ossining High School, Ossining, New York.Discovered 29 April 2000 by LINEAR, Socorro
(30370) Jongoetz
Charles Jon Goetz, III mentored a finalist in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a science competition for high school seniors. He teaches at the Richard Montgomery High School, Rockville, Maryland.Discovered 6 May 2000 by LINEAR, Socorro
(30413) Slatkin
Charles Slatkin (b. 1952) is an American space enthusiast and the founder of The Wonder Mission, a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring future scientists, engineers, and “visioneers.” He leads “The Robert Goddard Project”, which celebrates the centennial of Robert Goddard's first modern rocket launch.Discovered 25 May 2000 by LONEOS, Anderson Mesa
(32058) Charlesnoyes
Charles Noyes (b. 1999) was awarded best of category award and first place in the 2015 Intel ISEF for his systems software project. He also received the London International Youth Science Forum, Philip V. Streich Memorial Award. He attends the Villa Park High School, Villa Park, California, U.S.A.Discovered 7 May 2000 by LINEAR, Socorro
(32222) Charlesvest
Charles M. Vest (b. 1941) has shown exceptional leadership as president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1990 to 2004.Discovered 23 July 2000 by LINEAR, Socorro
(33443) Schambeau
Charles A. Schambeau (b. 1984) is an American planetary scientist who earned his Ph.D. at the University of Central Florida. He publishes telescopic studies of the properties and behaviors of distant comets and active Centaurs. He has made significant contributions to our knowledge of Centaur 29P.Discovered 22 March 1999 by LONEOS, Anderson Mesa
(34133) Charlesfenske
Charles Johannes Fenske (b. 1999) was awarded second place in the 2017 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for his engineering mechanics team project. He attends the Falmouth Academy, Falmouth, Massachusetts, U.S.A.Discovered 24 August 2000 by LINEAR, Socorro
(36226) Mackerras
Charles Mackerras (b. 1925), an authority on Janáček and other Slavonic composers, often conducts the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. Of Australian parentage, he has been principal conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Hamburg State Opera, and he conducted the inaugural concert at the Sydney Opera House.Discovered 31 October 1999 by L. Sarounova, Ondrejov
(42354) Kindleberger
Charles P. Kindleberger (b. 1910) is an economist who wrote the 1978 classic, Manias, Panics, and Crashes: A History of Financial Crises. This book, with new editions in 1989 and 1996, documents four centuries of boom-and-bust financial cycles. He was president of the American Economic Association in 1985.Discovered 12 February 2002 by Juels, C. W., Holvorcem, P. R., Fountain Hills
(44263) Nansouty
Charles Marie Etienne Champion, comte de Nansouty (1815-1895), was a French general and meteorologist. After his military retirement, he dedicated himself to meteorology, installing a meteorological station 1500 feet below the top of the Pic du Midi in 1873. He was a cofounder of the Observatoire du Pic du Midi in 1878.Discovered 28 August 1998 by Dupouy, P., Marechal, F., Dax
(58606) Charlestrenet
Charles Trenet (1913–2001) was a French singer-songwriter and composer, renowned as one of the greatest interpreters of French chanson. His works, including classics like “La Mer” and “Boum!”, blend poetry and melody. Trenet's legacy endures in music, continuing to inspire generations.Discovered 4 October 1997 by ODAS, Caussols
(70710) Chuckfellows
Charles Fellows (b. 1962) is the Project Manager for the OSIRIS-REx Camera Suite. He was also the Lead and Systems Engineer for the Mars Odyssey Gamma Ray Spectrometer, the Thermal Evolved Gas Analyzer on the Phoenix Mars Lander, and was a team member for the DISR instrument that flew on the Cassini mission.Discovered 29 October 1999 by CSS, Catalina
(97508) Bolden
Charles Frank Bolden Jr. (b. 1946) is a former American astronaut who flew on four space shuttle missions (two as the pilot and two as the commander). From 2009-2017, he was the NASA Administrator.Discovered 6 February 2000 by M. W. Buie, Kitt Peak
(120120) Kankelborg
An avid and well-rounded astrophysicist, Charles Kankelborg (b. 1967) develops innovative instruments for observing our solar system in the extreme ultraviolet. He teaches solar physics at the University of Montana.Discovered 28 March 2003 by J. Dellinger, Needville
(128608) Chucklove
Charles Love (b. 1955) is the Flight System Mission Assurance Manager for the OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission. He also contributed to the success of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Spitzer, Odyssey, Stardust, Genesis and Phoenix missions.Discovered 21 August 2004 by CSS, Catalina
(129102) Charliecamarotte
Charles Camarotte (b. 1953) is the Lockheed Martin Power Systems Lead for the OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission. He was also the C&DH Lead for OSIRIS-REx, as well as the C&DH Lead for the Juno Mission, and a flight team member of the Tethered Satellite mission.Discovered 2 December 2004 by CSS, Catalina
(129881) Chucksee
Charles See (b. 1956) worked as a calibration and test engineer on the OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission OCAMS camera. He also filled many roles on the Descent Imager/Spectral Radiometer team on the Cassini-Huygens probe to Titan, including systems, calibration and test lead, and data analyst.Discovered 29 September 1999 by CSS, Catalina
(187680) Stelck
Charles R. Stelck (b. 1917), a former University of Alberta geology professor, is a renowned Canadian paleontologist, stratigrapher and teacher.Discovered 28 February 2008 by A. Lowe, Mayhill
(201751) Steinhardt
Charles Steinhardt (b. 1981) is an American astronomer and a contributor to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. He is best known for work on the accretion and evolution of supermassive black holes and probing the connection between quasars and their host galaxies.Discovered 23 October 2003 by Sloan Digital Sky Survey, Apache Point
(217472) Addams
Charles Addams (1912–1988) was an American cartoonist who created the characters for the 1960s sitcom The Addams Family. His darkly humorous creations became a part of popular culture. This minor planet is the principal body and namesake of a small asteroid family, identified by Nesvorný and colleagues in 2024.Discovered 29 November 2005 by CSS, Catalina
(284054) Keeling
Charles David Keeling (1928–2005) was an American climatologist who developed the first reliable instrument for measuring atmospheric carbon dioxide. In 1958, at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, he began a long-term monitoring program showing by 1961 that carbon dioxide levels were rising. This ongoing record is now known as the Keeling Curve.Discovered 1 February 2005 by CSS, Catalina
(327989) Howieglatter
Charles Howard (“Howie”) Glatter (1946–2017) was a very talented New York-based entrepreneur who developed and manufactured some of astronomy's most sought after state-of-the art collimation tools. He was also an inventor of several other innovative astronomy products that advanced amateur astronomy.Discovered 10 April 2007 by Astronomical Research Observatory, Charleston
(708341) Fredjudson
Charles Frederick Judson (b. 1945) is a Canadian professor of political science at the University of Alberta. He is an authority on Central and South American politics.Discovered 22 November 2006 by K. M. Perrett D. D. Balam, Maunakea