Minor Planet Names

This page lists the citations for the named minor planets that were discovered at the private observatory Meyer/Obermair near Linz, Austria (IAU Observatory Code 540 Linz), as published in the Minor Planet Circulars. Follow this link for information how minor planets are named.

(9097) Davidschlag
1996 AU₁. Discovered 1996 January 14 at Linz.
Named for a small rural village, some 10 km to the north of Linz, at the entrance to a region known as "Sterngartl", or "small garden of stars". This object is the first minor planet discovered at the amateur astronomical observatory that is located in this village.

(9236) Obermair
1997 EV₃₂. Discovered 1997 March 12 by E. Meyer at Linz.
Named in honor of the Austrian amateur astronomer Erwin Obermair (b. 1946), who, together with the discoverer, is co-owner of the private observatory in Davidschlag, near Linz. A technician by profession, Obermair is also a well-known astrophotographer and popularizer of astronomy.

(9119) Georgpeuerbach
1998 DT. Discovered 1998 February 18 at Linz.
Named in memory of Georg Aunpekh von Peuerbach (1423-1461), professor at the University of Vienna, astronomer at the court of emperor Friedrich III, mathematician, poet, early humanist and teacher of Regiomontanus. He discovered the magnetic declination, introduced sines into trigonometry and invented the foldable sundial, the first trustworthy pocket timepiece.
Named on the occasion of the unveiling of a memorial tablet on St. Stephan's cathedral in Vienna, where Peuerbach is buried.

(13682) Pressberger
1997 PG₃. Discovered 1997 August 10 by E. Meyer and H. Raab at Linz.
Rudolf Pressberger (1942-2001) invented an improved telescope fork mount, named the "Austria Mount". First released in 1986, it features a right-ascension axis built inside the fork, works without ball bearings and uses friction drives. Using this design, Pressberger also built a 1.0-m Ritchey-Chritien telescope himself.

(14057) Manfredstoll
1996 AV₁. Discovered 1996 January 15 by E. Meyer and E. Obermair at Linz.
Viennese computer specialist Manfred Stoll (b. 1938) is an expert in the practical application of computers in astronomy. Among other projects, he worked on software for digitizing photographic plates. He also developed a modern telescope drive system and control software, which is now also used at the observatory in Linz.

(14977) Bressler
1997 SE₄. Discovered 1997 September 26 by E. Meyer at Linz.
Austrian amateur astronomer Martin Bressler (b. 1912) started his astrometric program on minor planets in 1982. Always eager to learn new techniques, he enthusiastically switched from photographic emulsions to a CCD in 1993.

(15949) Rhaeticus
1998 BQ. Discovered 1998 Jan. 17 by E. Meyer and E. Obermair at Linz.
Rhaeticus (Georg Joachim Lauchen, 1514-1574) was a humanist, physician, mathematician and astronomer at the universities of Vienna, Leipzig and Wittenberg. He summarized and popularized the work of his teacher Copernicus, initiating the first printing of De Revolutionibus.

(15955) Johannesgmunden
1998 BS₁₃. Discovered 1998 Jan. 26 by E. Meyer at Linz.
Johannes von Gmunden (1380/1384-1442), a priest, humanist, mathematician and astronomer at the University of Vienna, brought the mathematical and astronomical knowledge of Arabia to Europe. Known for his precise ephemerides, he also published the first printed calendar in German.

(16802) Rainer
1997 SP₃. Discovered 1997 Sep. 25 by E. Meyer at Linz.
Suffering from a serious heart disease since his birth, Rainer Gebetsroither (1976-1998) devoted his life to observations of nature as well as to the history and technology of railways. His parents Karin and Uwe are long-term members of the Linzer Astronomische Gemeinschaft.

(24916) Stelzhamer
1997 EK₁₁. Discovered 1997 Mar. 7 by E. Meyer at Linz.
Franz Stelzhamer (1802 - 1874), great Austrian poet and novelist, studied law, theology and painting, and worked as journalist, teacher and author. His "s'Hoamatgsang" is the anthem of the Austrian province Upper Austria.

(26355) Grueber
1998 YL₈. Discovered 1998 Dec. 23 by E. Meyer at Linz.
Johannes Grueber (1623-1680) was a Jesuit priest, missionary, mathematician and astronomer at the Chinese imperial court from 1659 to 1661. He returned to Europe from China by the overland route and published the very first travelogue describing Tibet.

(29427) Oswaldthomas
1997 EJ₁₁. Discovered 1997 Mar. 7 by E. Meyer at Linz.
Oswald Thomas (1882-1963), founder of the Astronomical Bureau in Vienna, and of the Astronomischer Verein, well known for his work on meteors and for popularizing astronomy. He proposed the establishment of the "Sterngarten", now known as the Vienna Open Air Planetarium.

(43955) Fixmüller
1997 CE₆. Discovered 1997 Feb. 6 by E. Meyer and E. Obermair at Linz.
Placidus Fixmüller (1721-1791), director of the astronomical observatory of the abbey in Kremsmünster, Upper Austria, worked on the orbit of Uranus and calculated a precise value for the solar parallax from observations collected worldwide during the transit of Venus in 1769.

(48681) Zeilinger
1996 BZ. Discovered 1996 January 21 by E. Meyer and E. Obermair at Linz.
Anton Zeilinger (b. 1945) is a much-honored professor of experimental physics in Innsbruck and Vienna, decorated by the "pour le mérite" sciences and arts. Well known for his contributions to quantum physics, in 1997 he succeeded in the first teleportation of information on quantum level.

(48801) Penninger
1997 UC1. Discovered 1997 October 22 by E. Meyer at Linz.
Josef Penninger (b. 1964), director of the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, has been honored by various university chairs and numerous awards. He was chosen by the magazine Esquire as one of the ten most interesting people of the year 2000.

(58499) Stüber
1996 VY. Discovered 1996 November 03 by E. Meyer and E. Obermair at Linz.
Eberhard Stüber (b. 1927) is director of the natural science museum "Haus der Natur" in Salzburg. Under his direction a space hall was established, so far the only permanent space exhibition in Austria. In 1988, Stüber set up the Salzburg Public Observatory on Voggenberg as an outpost of the museum.

(85411) Paulflora
1996 VA₁. Discoverey 1996 November 03 by E. Meyer and E. Obermair at Linz.
Paul Flora (b. 1922), caricaturist, graphic artist and illustator, was born in South Tyrol but has lived in Innsbruck, North Tyrol, since his early years. His first book, Flora's Fauna, was published in 1953. His ironic and sarcastic drawings, sketched in a distinctive, unique style, have gained international recognition.

(96506) Oberösterreich
1998 OR₄. Discoverey 1998 July 26 by E. Meyer at Linz.
Oberösterreich is one of the nine federal states of Austria and one of the most important industrial areas of Austria today. Its capital is Linz, where Johannes Kepler lived from 1612 to 1626 and discovered his third law in 1618. Since 1918 the name Oberösterreich has been official.