Provisional designation in astronomy is the naming convention applied to astronomical objects immediately following their discovery. The provisional designation is usually superseded by a permanent designation once a reliable orbit has been calculated. Approximately 47% of the more than 1,100,000 known minor planets[2] remain provisionally designated, as hundreds of thousands have been discovered in the last two decades.[3] The modern system is overseen by the Minor Planet Center of the International Astronomical Union.
MPC-Provisional-Designations
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MPC-Running-Tallies
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MPC-statistics
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