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Minor-planet designation

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Help Name A Minor Planet! - 2007 OR10 - Pluto has a Space Update

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List of named minor planets (numerical) | Wikipedia audio article

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Meanings of minor planet names: 456001–457000

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Distant minor planet | Wikipedia audio article

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Dwarf Planet Song/Dwarf Planet Candidate Quaoar

A formal minor-planet designation is, in its final form, a number–name combination given to a minor planet. Such designation always features a leading number assigned to a body once its orbital path is sufficiently secured. The formal designation is based on the minor planet's provisional designation, which was previously assigned automatically when it had been observed for the first time. Later on, the provisional part of the formal designation may be replaced with a name. Both formal and provisional designations are overseen by the Minor Planet Center (MPC), a branch of the International Astronomical Union.
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