Wikipedia

User:Renerpho/Potential conflicts of interest

< User:Renerpho
Conflicts of interest matter.

I have conflicts of interest about a few topics on which I have worked more or less regularly, or on which I may want to work in the future. I believe that transparency about this is vital for the integrity of Wikipedia. Here I try to explain some of the problems that I might encounter, and what I may or may not be doing to mitigate those. If you still see an issue with an edit I made, let me know.

Edward Thonen

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I have researched the life of Edward Thonen and published a book about him, which In made available for free. I am also the main author of his Wikipedia article both on the English and German Wikipedia, and have successfully nominated it for Did you know? on both projects.[a] I declared my conflict of interest from the beginning, including in the DYK nomination.[b] I took care to ensure the article complies with neutrality and notability guidelines to the best of my abilities. Here I relied on the help and feedback of others, since nobody is able to objectively assess their own biases.

Related to this, I have a potential conflict of interest about George Dreyfus, and I avoid editing his article.[c]

Astronomy/minor planets

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Northolt Branch Observatories

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The article Northolt Branch Observatories (NBO) was created by me in 2018, before I realized that this was a clear violation of WP:NEUTRAL. I am one of the founders of NBO. See Wikipedia:Conflict of interest/Noticeboard#Renerpho for my later self-declaration of that COI, and Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Northolt Branch Observatories for a subsequent deletion discussion that ended with substantial changes to the article, but no consensus to delete it.

I consider creating that article one of the worst blunders I have made as a Wikipedia user. It was only when I was questioned about it off-wiki that I reconsidered this conflict of interest in particular, and other biases I might have in general.

David Rankin (astronomer)

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(About David Rankin (astronomer); article created through WP:AFC on 12 March 2026; WP:DYK on 10 April 2026)

TBD

2024 YR4

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My impact risk corridor map for the (now ruled out) impact on 22 December 2032

2024 YR4 is an article that I have some interest in, and I have edited that article often.[d] Many of the references that mention me do so because of the impact risk corridor map that I created and uploaded to Wikimedia Commons, and which is used in the Wikipedia article.

Since February 2025, I am mentioned in one section of the article (in a quote by David Rankin), and I'm not touching that paragraph.[e] Apart from that, I prefer to discuss sources that I am named in on the article talk page before working with them, and to limit the edits I make to the article to uncontroversial facts (or correcting factual errors) where possible. That said, I made some claims that are cited (the impact "could be brighter than the full moon" making it clearly visible to the naked eye) which I no longer agree with personally. This would be true if the object was at the upper end of the size range that was possible at the time, and if all energy from the impact were converted into visible light (which it won't).[f] I have mentioned on the article talk page that I no longer agree fully with what I said then, but it is not up to me to decide if that's reason to remove it from the article; and as of February 2026, it stands unchanged.

A moon impact was ruled out in February 2026, independently through observations by Andy Rivkin using the James Webb Space Telescope, and through precoveries identified by Deen et al. in images from 2016. I have published with Deen before[1][2] -- and while I was not involved in his paper about 2024 YR4, I won't further comment on the paper here.

Apophis

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Hypothetical risk corridor for an impact on April 13, 2029, based on the 2020–21 planetary defense exercise that I was involved in

I have made quite a lot of edits to 99942 Apophis and have contributed to numerous discussions on the article talk page.[g] I have a short animation on that page that I have created myself, and I had no problem adding that (creating our own images is encouraged, after all). In a few cases, however, I decided to use the edit request feature on the article talk page, because of a real or perceived conflict of interest due to me being involved in a paper that got referenced.[3] See this edit request, for example.

2015 OU194 and 2013 RG98

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As of January 2026, neither of the centaurs 2015 OU194 and 2013 RG98 have their own articles.[h] Should they be found to be notable enough to get a standalone article, chances are that's because of a paper I wrote about them,[1] which got a bit of media attention.[i] I will not make edits to those articles. Should I find them to be inaccurate, especially when it comes to the coverage of my own results, I will comment on the talk pages instead. I don't think I would be able to make such edits myself in a completely neutral way.

S/2015 (136472) 1

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S/2015 (136472) 1, the moon of dwarf planet Makemake, was discovered by Parker et al. in 2015, and was re-observed with the Hubble Space Telescope in 2018 and 2019. However, no publication followed. In 2025, I used the publicly available data to determine and publish an orbit myself.[4] I declare a possible COI about the object, and about Makemake itself, insofar as it relates to the satellite.

Asteroid names

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A number of minor planet names were suggested by me, and I have edited some of the associated articles.[j] I do have a conflict of interest about Loren C. Ball, who is a friend of mine and the discoverer of asteroid (128345) Danielbamberger, which he named after me in 2018.[k] I have made a few edits to his article over the years.[l]

In the case of Matt Parker and Pi Day,[m] I initially did not declare that conflict of interest, because my involvement had not been revealed at that time (I had asked to stay anonymous).[n]

I have added information about the naming of an asteroid to Lucie Green, to provide a citation for her birth year. I made one edit to Brady Haran, which is unrelated to the asteroid.[o] I've made a few edits to Dianna Cowern before the idea to name an asteroid after her came up, and have made small edits to that article from time to time.[p] I may continue to do so. The same is true for Angela Lansbury, Maria Malibran, and Lydia Benecke.[q] Apart from that, I hereby recuse from editing any of these or the other articles in the table below in the future, unless I first make an Edit COI request on the talk page.[r]

I have proposed the names of several asteroids that are named after YouTubers (mostly science YouTubers).[s] If any additional asteroids should be named after YouTubers in the future (if based on my suggestions or not), I will probably refrain from making edits to their articles.[t]

As of April 2026, November Kelly does not have a Wikipedia article (Well There's Your Problem is a redirect to Justin Roczniak). I am not going to create an article about her, or create or edit any articles about the podcasts she co-hosts. August von Klipstein [de] is a distant cousin of me, and I own some old documents and memorabilia related to his family.[u] The family connection definitely played a role in my decision to suggest the asteroid name. As of April 2026, he does not have an article on the English Wikipedia, and I won't create one.

I have written a short paper about the Near Earth asteroid (355256) 2007 KN4,[5] which has since been named after the German mathematician and holocaust victim Margarethe Kahn.[v] I have not edited Kahn's article, and I am not going to create an article about the asteroid.[w]

The name of 471325 Taowu and the naming citation were provided by a friend.[x] I have no particular connection to the name itself, but I may edit that article occasionally out of a general interest (rather than a personal one) in the object itself.

I am maintaining a list of asteroids discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey that are eligible for naming,[y] which I believe has been used by the survey staff themselves, although I wouldn't know for sure.

I have previously made edits to articles when a minor planet was named after the subject.[z] I am likely to do this much less often in the future, for various reasons. Firstly, since I have been involved in multiple namings, I cannot do so objectively.[aa] Secondly, I am not convinced that this is a good idea; see here for a discussion I started hoping to resolve that question in general.

The wikitext of this page contains a list of SHA256-encrypted strings as <!-- hidden text -->, mainly to prove some of what I said above, and that I actually am the author of the names and naming citations given below (sometimes with subtle changes between the proposed citation, and the version that the IAU decided to publish). In the cases where I have added the clear text, you can use sha256-encrypt-decrypt to verify that the two match.

  Near-Earth obj.     MBA (inner)   MBA (outer)   Centaur
  Mars-crosser   MBA (middle)     Jupiter trojan    Trans-Neptunian obj.
  Unclassified
Named Asteroid Provisional Date of naming Naming citation References
(17944) Lansbury1999 JF715 December 2025Angela Brigid Lansbury (1925–2022) was an Irish-British and American actress, producer, and singer. Beginning her film career in the 1940s with roles in Gaslight and The Picture of Dorian Gray, she later became a Broadway icon. She achieved worldwide fame as Jessica Fletcher in the television series Murder, She Wrote.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(20610) Franciswilliams1999 RK2357 April 2025Francis Williams (c.1690–c.1770) was a Jamaican astronomer, poet, and polymath. He was one of the most notable free black people in Jamaica. He independently recognized the return of Halley's Comet in 1759.JPL · IAU · IAU · Orbit
(21943) Diannacowern1999 VG11417 March 2025Dianna Leilani Cowern (b. 1989) is an American science communicator. On her YouTube channel Physics Girl, she often collaborates with other educational YouTubers. The channel has over 400 million views and more than 3 million subscribers.JPL · IAU · YouTube · Orbit
(22955) Tibees1999 TH25117 March 2025Toby Hendy (b. 1995) is a New Zealand science communicator. Better known by her nickname Tibees, her eponymous YouTube channel has gained more than one million subscribers. She publishes videos about mathematics, physics and astronomy.JPL · IAU · YouTube · YouTube · Orbit
(24090) Grindavík1999 UY811 August 2025Grindavík is a town on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland. First mentioned in the 10th century, it became an important fishing station during the Middle Ages. The Blue Lagoon, one of Iceland’s main tourist attractions, is in a lava field north of the town. Since 2023, both the town and the lagoon are threatened by a series of volcanic eruptions.JPL · IAU · YouTube · News 1 · News 2 · Orbit
(27234) Timdodd1999 RC217 March 2025Timothy Justin Dodd (b. 1985) is an American science communicator, photographer, and musician. His YouTube channel Everyday Astronaut, where he makes videos about spaceflight, has gained more than one million subscribers.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(38048) Blumenbach1998 UL183 February 2025Ulrich Blumenbach (b. 1964) is a German literary translator. He is best known for his translation of David Foster Wallace's novel Infinite Jest.JPL · IAU · Reddit · Orbit
(38423) Jeokjungchogye1999 RS22611 August 2025The Jeokjung-Chogye Basin, a 7 km-wide impact crater in Hapcheon, South Korea, is the only known impact structure on the Korean Peninsula. Estimated to have formed between 30 000 and 63 000 years ago during the late Pleistocene, it is one of the youngest large impact craters on Earth.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(44933) Therezallewelyn1999 VU4415 December 2025Thereza Dillwyn Llewelyn (1834–1926) was a Welsh astronomer and one of the first female photographers. In the 1850s, using a purpose-built equatorial observatory, she captured some of the earliest photographs of the Moon.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(46925) Bradyharan1998 SS273 February 2025Brady John Haran (b. 1976) is an Australian-British video journalist and filmmaker. On his YouTube channels, which include Periodic Videos and Numberphile, he frequently collaborates with academics and other educational YouTubers.JPL · IAU · MPB · Twitter · YouTube · NSC · Orbit
(50426) Mikemerrifield2000 DJ1511 August 2025Michael Merrifield (b. 1964) is a British emeritus professor of astronomy at the University of Nottingham, specializing in galaxy evolution and structure. He co-authored the textbook Galactic Astronomy and contributed to the YouTube channels “Sixty Symbols” and “Deep Sky Videos”, where he explains astronomy and physics to a wide audience.JPL · IAU · Twitter · YouTube · Orbit
(50427) Ralphmerrifield2000 DT1511 August 2025Ralph Merrifield (1913–1995) was a British archaeologist. Described as “the father of London’s modern archaeology”, he made significant contributions to the study of Roman London and the role of ritual and magic in archaeology. As a museum curator and scholar, Ralph influenced the interpretation of ancient beliefs and everyday practices.JPL · IAU · Twitter · YouTube · Orbit
(53025) Willnoel1998 WD17 March 2025William Gerard Noel (1965–2024) was a British-American medieval manuscript expert, who served as Associate University Librarian for Special Collections at Princeton University. He led the Archimedes Palimpsest Project, which revealed a lost codex of Archimedes.JPL · IAU · Instagram · Orbit
(55987) Maríaruiz1998 SO2711 August 2025María Teresa Ruiz (b. 1946) is a Chilean astronomer recognized for her discovery of the first brown dwarf. A professor at the University of Chile, she has made contributions to the study of stellar evolution. María is also a dedicated advocate for science education and gender equality in scientific fields.JPL · IAU · IAU · Orbit
(57915) Mahuchikh2002 EB11011 August 2025Yaroslava Mahuchikh (b. 2001) is a Ukrainian high jumper and Olympic champion. After winning bronze at the 2020 Olympics, she claimed gold in 2024. Earlier that year, Yaroslava set a women’s high jump world record of 2.10 meters, surpassing a mark that had stood for 36 years.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(59483) Corranplain1999 HN1115 December 2025Corran Daemon Plain (1999–2024), known online as Vami IV, was an American Wikipedian recognized for his dedication and collaborative spirit. He was one of the most impactful editors the online encyclopedia has ever had. Numerous tributes on his user page serve as a testament to his legacy.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(75423) Gladyswest1999 XO11911 August 2025Gladys West (b. 1930) is an American mathematician whose work in satellite geodesy was instrumental in the development of the Global Positioning System. Her mathematical modeling of the shape of the Earth enabled the accurate calculation of satellite orbits, revolutionizing navigation technology.JPL · IAU · Obituary · Orbit
(79871) Earthrise1998 YT74 May 2026“Earthrise” is a photograph taken by astronaut William Anders in 1968, during the Apollo 8 mission to the Moon. Showing Earth above the lunar horizon, it changed humanity’s perception of its home planet and became an icon of the environmental movement. This asteroid was discovered on the 30th anniversary of the photograph.JPL · IAU · NBAS · Orbit
(96535) Schiehallion1998 SC54 May 2026Schiehallion is a mountain in Perthshire, Scotland, noted for its isolation and almost symmetrical shape. In 1774, it was the site of an experiment to measure the mean density of the Earth.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(101811) Jakobkaup1999 JQ617 March 2025Johann Jakob Kaup (1803–1873) was a German paleontologist and zoologist. In 1829, he developed a theory of evolution similar to Darwin's later theory of natural selection. The same year, he discovered the Deinotherium, an extinct genus of elephant-like animals. Kaup first described and named numerous taxa of living and extinct species.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(101961) Augustklipstein1999 RL3917 March 2025August Wilhelm von Klipstein (1801–1894) was a German geologist and paleontologist. In 1835, he and his friend Johann Jakob Kaup discovered the first skull of a Deinotherium.JPL · IAU · HNA · Orbit
(117385) Maughan2004 YN204 May 2026Margaret Gardner Maughan (1928–2020) was a British Paralympian. In 1960, she won her nation’s first gold medal. She lit the cauldron at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(147745) Novemberkelly2005 NK6715 December 2025November Kelly (b. 1991) is a British podcaster and comedian. Among the programs she co-hosts are Trashfuture and Well There’s Your Problem, a podcast about engineering disasters “with slides”. Both shows are noted for their blend of dark humor, technical insight, and social critique.JPL · IAU · Bluesky · News · Orbit
(149831) Okeke2005 NG10111 August 2025Francisca Nneka Okeke (b. 1956) is a Nigerian physicist known for her research on the ionosphere and its impact on climate and space weather. A professor as well as an advocate for women’s education, she has received international recognition for her contributions to geophysics and atmospheric science.JPL · IAU · Instagram · News · Orbit
(152341) Rupesnigra2005 UE674 May 2026Rupes Nigra is a legendary island first mentioned in the lost 14th-century book Inventio Fortunata as a magnetic rock at the North Pole. It was an attempt to explain why all compasses point north. Mercator included Rupes Nigra on his maps, describing it as a towering black cliff. The legend inspired early generations of Arctic explorers.JPL · IAU · NBAS · Orbit
(175397) Oumousangaré2006 OS615 December 2025Oumou Sangaré (b. 1968) is a Malian singer and songwriter. Known as the Songbird of Wassoulou, her socially conscious lyrics have brought global attention to West African music. Beyond her musical achievements, she is a prominent advocate for women’s rights and has served as an ambassador for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(180932) Luciegreen2005 LG3111 August 2025Lucinda (Lucie) Green (b. 1975) is a British physicist and science communicator. As a television and radio presenter, Green has appeared on programs like The Sky at Night and The Infinite Monkey Cage. Her research focuses on the Sun’s magnetic field, specifically the physics of coronal mass ejections and their effects on Earth.JPL · IAU · Instagram · Orbit
(192182) Ennedi2007 EP2174 May 2026Ennedi Plateau, a remote sandstone massif in northeastern Chad, is famous for its dramatic landscapes and its displays of prehistoric rock paintings. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(212121) Marthegautier2005 EP19511 August 2025French medical doctor Marthe Gautier (1925–2022) researched congenital heart diseases in children. In 1958, she discovered that an extra chromosome was the cause of Down syndrome, later called trisomy 21.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(217472) Addams2005 WV10525 May 2026Charles 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.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(242321) Billtilden2003 WB1704 May 2026James Wilson Tilden (1904–1988) was an American entomologist, best known for his books Butterflies of the San Francisco Bay and A Field Guide to Western Butterflies. He made lasting contributions to the study of butterfly species in western North America.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(251512) Jacobcollier2008 FK5815 December 2025Jacob Collier (b. 1994) is a British singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist whose exploration of microtonality and close harmony has expanded the boundaries of contemporary music.JPL · IAU · Reddit · Orbit
(262825) Dianearbus2007 AD2311 August 2025Diane Arbus (1923–1971) was an American photographer known for her striking black-and-white portraits. She challenged social norms by focusing on groups who are often stigmatized, from circus performers to people with disabilities. By portraying her subjects with dignity, Diane helped to humanize those who live on the fringes of society.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(280924) Eurypterus2006 AP224 May 2026Eurypterus is an extinct genus of sea scorpion from the Silurian period, about 430 million years ago. It was among the first arthropods to dominate coastal seas. The species Eurypterus remipes became the official state fossil of New York in 1984.JPL · IAU · IAU · NBAS · YouTube · Orbit
(284054) Keeling2005 CO211 August 2025Charles 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.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(314159) Mattparker2005 FW115 August 2024Matthew Thomas Parker (b. 1980) is an Australian recreational mathematician, author, and science communicator based in the United Kingdom. His Stand-up Maths YouTube channel has gained more than one million subscribers. Parker's Pi Day (March 14) challenges, where he calculates (by hand) π with the help of volunteers, have popularized mathematics.JPL · IAU · YouTube · Orbit
(325731) Maalin2009 VF4015 December 2025Ali Maow Maalin (1954–2013) was a Somali health worker, and the last known person to contract naturally occurring smallpox, in 1977. He later worked with the World Health Organization on polio eradication, drawing on his smallpox experience to build trust. Ali continued to campaign for vaccinations for the rest of his life.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(331298) Eunicefoote2011 EN1911 August 2025Eunice Newton Foote (1819–1888) was an American scientist and women’s rights advocate. In 1856, she demonstrated that carbon dioxide and water vapor absorb heat and hypothesized that changes in their atmospheric levels could alter the climate. She was the first to propose this phenomenon, now known as the greenhouse effect.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(346666) Knorozov2008 YK2215 December 2025Yuri Valentinovich Knorozov (1922–1999) was a Russian linguist who played a key role in deciphering the Maya script. His 1952 paper, “Ancient Writing of Central America”, showed that the script was partly syllabic. The Mexican government awarded him the Order of the Aztec Eagle in 1994 in recognition of his work.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(355256) Margarethekahn2007 KN415 December 2025Margarethe Kahn (1880–c. 1942) was a German mathematician and Holocaust victim. A pioneer of women’s education, she was among the first women in Germany to earn a doctorate, completing her dissertation under David Hilbert in 1909. Dismissed from her teaching position in 1936, she went missing in 1942 after being deported to Poland.JPL · IAU · Paper · News[v] · Orbit
(379470) Carolynjones2010 DQ425 May 2026Carolyn Jones (1930–1983) was an American actress. She won a Golden Globe in 1959. Carolyn played Morticia in the 1960s sitcom The Addams Family, and her portrayal helped define the character’s macabre charm. This minor planet is a member of the Addams family, a collisional asteroid family identified by Nesvorný and colleagues in 2024.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(395231) Léonscott2010 MA574 May 2026Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville (1817–1879) was a French inventor who in 1857 created the phonautograph, the first device to inscribe airborne sound waves onto paper. Overshadowed by Edison’s phonograph, Scott’s work resurfaced in 2008, when his 1860 “Au clair de la lune” was first played back, revealing the earliest clearly recognizable human voice.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(402841) Kamakawiwoʻole2007 LE115 December 2025Israel Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole (1959–1997), known as IZ, was a Native Hawaiian musician and one of the most celebrated ukulele players of all time. He is regarded as one of Hawaii’s greatest artists. In the 2000s, his medley of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World” became a global classic.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(412536) Farquharson2014 MF4615 December 2025Marian Farquharson (1846–1912) was a British naturalist and women’s rights activist. She published a book on British ferns in 1881 and later campaigned for women’s equal participation in science. Though elected as the first female Fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society, she was barred from attending its meetings because of her gender.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(426524) Rainerhannig2013 RH5211 August 2025Rainer Hannig (1952–2022) was a German Egyptologist. He was the author of the Hannig Lexica, a series of dictionaries that contain the world’s most extensive collection of Old Egyptian words. In 2007, he co-founded the annual Egyptology Days, which were renamed the Rainer Hannig Days of Egyptology in his honor in 2022.JPL · IAU · Uni Marburg · Hannig · Orbit
(429733) Gilbertbaker2011 LX1017 March 2025Gilbert Baker (1951–2017) was an American artist, civil rights advocate, and flag designer. In 1978, he created the rainbow flag, which became an internationally-recognized symbol of sexual diversity.JPL · IAU · Reddit · Orbit
(434325) Lautréamont2004 JD215 December 2025Isidore Lucien Ducasse (1846–1870), known as the Comte de Lautréamont, was a French poet born in Uruguay. His dark, surreal visions in Les Chants de Maldoror exposed the broken promises of the Age of Enlightenment. It influenced modern literature and philosophy, and laid the groundwork for the avant-garde.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(434707) Oyfnpripetshik2006 CH4915 December 2025“Oyfn Pripetshik” (“On the Hearth”) is a song written by the Yiddish-language folk poet Mark Warshawsky in the late 19th century. Sung to generations of children as a nursing rhyme, this tune about learning the Hebrew alphabet has become a symbol of Jewish resilience and cultural memory, particularly during and after the Holocaust.JPL · IAU · Orbit · YouTube
(450806) Mariamalibran2007 TP45115 December 2025Maria Felicia Malibran (1808–1836) was a Spanish mezzo-soprano and one of the best-known opera singers of the 19th century. Celebrated both for her dramatic intensity on stage and her exceptional vocal range, she became a legendary figure after her untimely death.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(458123) Lydiabenecke2010 EW824 May 2026Lydia Benecke (b. 1982) is a German author and criminal psychologist who works as a consultant on subjects such as paraphilias, superstitious beliefs, and subcultures. She regularly appears as an expert on television and radio programs.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(466552) Viking2014 SS31015 December 2025The 1931 adventure movie The Viking was the first feature film to record synchronized sound and dialogue on location. Filmed amid the Newfoundland ice floes, it became linked to tragedy when an explosion aboard the sealing vessel SS Viking killed director Varick Frissell and 27 others, in what remains the deadliest accident in film-production history.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(471325) Taowu2011 KT193 February 2025One of the Four Perils of Chinese mythology, Taowu is a ferocious and stubborn beast said to lurk within the western regions of China. It is depicted as having a human head, tiger legs, boar tusks, and a long tail.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(472054) Tupaia2013 YA5515 December 2025Tupaia (c. 1725–1770) was a navigator and arioi from Raiatea who guided HMS Endeavour during her Pacific voyage. During the 1769 transit of Venus observed from Tahiti, he befriended Joseph Banks, who recommended taking him on board. Tupaia created detailed maps of the Pacific islands, serving as a bridge between European and Polynesian knowledge systems.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(508440) Lewishamilton2016 LH711 August 2025Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (b. 1985) is a British-Grenadian Formula One driver and seven-time world champion. Beyond racing, he is a prominent advocate for diversity in motorsport, campaigns against racism, and supports children's rights through his long-standing partnership with the United Nations Children's Fund.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(543061) Ruthsager2013 RS9715 December 2025American geneticist Ruth Sager (1918–1997) made important contributions to plant biology and cancer research. Her work on tumor suppressor genes revolutionized the understanding of cancer formation. An advocate for gender equality, she challenged “the influence of fashions in scientific thought,” opening doors for future scientists.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(628318) Stevemould2014 TB767 April 2025Steve Mould (b. 1978) is a British educational YouTuber and science presenter with over 3 million subscribers. As part of Festival of the Spoken Nerd, he brings science to live audiences in entertaining ways. His video on self-siphoning beads led to the phenomenon being dubbed the Mould effect.JPL · IAU · Reddit · Orbit
(636680) Lisaloring2014 WE5925 May 2026Lisa Loring (1958–2023) was an American actress. She portrayed Wednesday in the 1960s sitcom The Addams Family. Her performance brought to life one of television’s most memorable child characters. This minor planet is a member of the Addams family, a collisional asteroid family identified by Nesvorný and colleagues in 2024.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(666312) Aroneisenberg2010 DS94 May 2026Aron Eisenberg (1969–2019) was an American actor and podcaster, best known for his role as Nog on the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He transformed the character from a minor role into a fan favorite. In his signature episode, “It’s Only a Paper Moon”, Aron depicts Nog’s struggle with war trauma, a performance praised for its realism.JPL · IAU · NBAS · Reddit · YouTube · Orbit
(696315) Petraios2016 GR20611 August 2025The centaur Petraios took part in the battle at the wedding of Pirithous, a symbolic clash between primal chaos and social order. His name means “rocky”, evoking strength and stability. As Ovid tells, Petraios fell while grappling with the rooted earth; like this minor planet, he marks the edge between structure and upheaval.JPL · IAU · Orbit
(792972) Teresina2023 QY1611 August 2025Teresina is the capital of the Brazilian state of Piauí. Founded in 1852 under the name Vila Nova do Poty, it was the first planned city in Brazil.JPL · IAU · News · Orbit
(813826) Vihart2007 TE42015 December 2025Victoria “Vi” Hart (b. 1988) is an American recreational mathematician and educator, who is best known for their engaging explanations of mathematical ideas, often delivered through music or paper constructions such as hexaflexagons. Hart's “A Song about a Circle Constant” launched τ's popularity as a worthy competitor to the number π.JPL · IAU · Reddit · Orbit

"How do I name an asteroid after X?"

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If you want to suggest a name for an asteroid, your best bet is to either contact WGSBN (although they do not accept proposals for specific asteroids), or the discoverer if you have a specific asteroid in mind. Make sure first that you understand the rules and guidelines, and are familiar with the general process. Please do not ask them to name an asteroid after yourself, or make other "frivolous" proposals.

Battenberg

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While I may have things to say about Battenberg (Eder), especially when it comes to the history section of the article, I can hardly do so without unduly promoting the book I wrote about the place (I won't link to it here). I have since put the majority of my work about that subject online, where it is freely available.[ab] However, WikiTree doesn't meet Wikipedia's reliable source standards, because it is user generated content.[ac] Of course I agree with that policy, but it makes it difficult for me to edit Battenberg (Eder) without breaking some rules, even unwillingly.

There is some coverage of my work about Battenberg in reliable sources, some with a scientific approach, but much of that was published with my direct involvement and should not be considered independent coverage.[ad]

In short, rather than stepping into a snake pit, I've decided to avoid trouble and stay away from that Wikipedia article entirely.[ae]

People with family ties to Battenberg, or to me

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There are some people with Wikipedia articles who have connections to Battenberg, or to whom I am otherwise related. I have no interest in editing most of them, but I may consider editing on a case-by-case basis.

In a few cases, family ties or my interest in genealogy collide with my interest in astronomy. I am a not-very-distant cousin of Wilhelm Gliese, whose mother came from Battenberg-Dodenau. I have avoided editing his article, or Gliese Catalogue of Nearby Stars.[af] I am also a (more distant) cousin of Johann Elert Bode, who has family ties to Battenberg,[ag] and I may be avoiding certain kinds of edits because of that -- not because I think the distant connection is objectively meaningful, but because it is subjectively meaningful to me.

I have made some edits on the German Wikipedia to biographies with a Battenberg connection, sometimes in relation to my own research. Usually, this involves corrections I made (directly or indirectly) to the reliable sources that are cited in the article, like the Hessische Biografie. I always explain those changes on the article talk page.[ah] I can imagine making similar edits on the English Wikipedia, although I may decide to do so in the form of an edit request.

Notes

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  1. ↑ I have no commercial interest in the subject.
  2. ↑ See my edit summary at article creation, and the disclaimer in my DYK nomination.
  3. ↑ My edits to George Dreyfus:
  4. ↑ Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page without content in them (see the help page).
  5. ↑ It was added by another user in this edit, following a talk page comment from me.
  6. ↑ See this post on Bluesky for me adding some "qualifications" to that statement.
  7. ↑ List of my edits: ; list of my talk page comments:
  8. ↑ Should you come across this note: I don't encourage you to create them. Just leave those two red links in place, please.
  9. ↑ Starting with Universe Today, covered in this Fraser Cain video, from where numerous pages have picked it up. Some of that coverage is nice, some less so; some of it is outright bizarre, but what can you do?
  10. ↑ Most of these asteroids were discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey (CSS). The exception is (628318) Stevemould, which was discovered by Spacewatch. I have no direct connection to either of those observatories.
  11. ↑ Details about that in this newspaper article (in German).
  12. ↑ My edits to Loren C. Ball: Some of these edits, like this one about Loren's naming of (62701) Davidrankin in 2018, were not without personal connection (David is a friend of mine who now works at the Catalina Sky Survey). I recused from making edits directly linked to my person, like this one by a different user about the asteroid that Loren had named after myself. I was not involved in the naming of (62701) Davidrankin; but David helped me getting asteroid (16095) Lorenball named in 2019.
  13. ↑ My relevant edits to Matt Parker: -- And to Pi Day:
  14. ↑ Was it correct to not declare the COI and still edit those articles? Maybe not. I was thinking differently about COIs back then.
  15. ↑ My edits to Brady Haran: . I have co-authored a short paper Lightcurve and Rotation Period of 46925 Bradyharan about that asteroid, published in the Minor Planet Bulletin.
  16. ↑ And to Dianna Cowern:
  17. ↑ My edits to those articles: Angela Lansbury, Maria Malibran, Lydia Benecke
  18. ↑ Toby Hendy: , Tim Dodd: , Johann Jakob Kaup: , Gilbert Baker (artist): , Francis Williams (polymath): , Steve Mould: , Grindavík: , Ralph Merrifield: , María Teresa Ruiz: , Gladys West: , Francisca Nneka Okeke: , Marthe Gautier: , Diane Arbus: , Charles David Keeling: , Eunice Newton Foote: , Rainer Hannig: , Teresina: , Thereza Dillwyn Llewelyn: , Oumou Sangaré: , Jacob Collier: , Ali Maow Maalin: , Yuri Knorozov: , Israel Kamakawiwoʻole: , Marian Farquharson: , Comte de Lautréamont: , Oyfn Pripetshik: , The Viking (1931 film): , Tupaia (navigator): , Ruth Sager: , Vi Hart: , Schiehallion: , Margaret Gardner Maughan: , Rupes Nigra: , Ennedi Plateau: , Eurypterus: , Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville: , Charles Addams: , Carolyn Jones: , Lisa Loring: . I have made Edit COI requests (leading to subsequent edits to the article) at Lewis Hamilton: ; Yaroslava Mahuchikh: ; Aron Eisenberg: ; and Earthrise: . I already mentioned Lucie Green, my edits to that article are here:
  19. ↑ Compare the video titled YouTuber asteroids (June 2025 update) on my own small YouTube channel, with the thumbnail courtesy of K Ly.
  20. ↑ If they are notable enough to have a Wikipedia page, that is...
    I currently have no plans to propose additional "YouTuber asteroids". In December 2025, asteroid (26329) Cleoabram, discovered at the Catalina Sky Survey, was named after science YouTuber Cleo Abram. I was not involved in that in any way. Also see this video she made with/about David Rankin.
  21. ↑ Like this one, which I deposited at the State Archive in Darmstadt [de] as an extended loan; compare this newspaper article.
  22. 1 2 The naming was covered in several local and national newspapers on 19 December 2025. Unfortunately, many of the print versions wrongly present me as the discoverer of the asteroid. I never intended this to happen. The asteroid was of course discovered at the Catalina Sky Survey, I merely wrote a scientific paper about it. The online article was updated accordingly a few days later (before, after). The version published in the Frankfurter Rundschau (archived online version) never contained the error.
  23. ↑ My edits to Margarethe Kahn:
  24. ↑ Those, as well as the idea for the name, are courtesy of Nrco0e.
  25. ↑ Available as a spreadsheet: Catalina and Mount Lemmon - unnamed asteroids
  26. ↑ Examples include MS Zaandam, Hofheim, Hesse and Martha Argerich.
  27. ↑ Between 17 March 2025 and 25 May 2026, the IAU has named a total of 949 minor planets. I was involved in the naming of 57 of those, or about 1 in 17.
  28. ↑ On a dedicated WikiTree page about the history of the place. Copies of much of what I share there are deposited at Neuschäfer-Archiv and at Stadtarchiv Frankenberg.
  29. ↑ That's why I'm using it, duh.
  30. ↑ Examples: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
  31. ↑ My edits to Battenberg (Eder):
  32. ↑ See and for my edits to those articles.
  33. ↑ I've detailed the connection in a newspaper article that can be found on the Internet Archive:
  34. ↑ Examples: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. There's also this edit to Joachim Bernhard Semmelrogge [de], whose Wikipedia article at one point claimed that his true name was "Joachim Bernhard Semmelrogge von Biedenfeld zu Battenberg", or "Joachim Bernhard Battenberg" per the IMDB. As far as I can tell, those claims are all baseless; compare .

References

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  1. 1 2 Bamberger, Daniel; Ly, K; Deen, Sam; Mendes, Elvis Oliveira (July 2025). "A Minor Planet in an Outer Resonance with Uranus". Research Notes of the AAS. 9 (174). doi:10.3847/2515-5172/aded08.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
  2. ↑ Bamberger, Daniel P.; Deen, Sam; Ly, K.; Mendes, Elvis Oliveira; Schnabel, Arndt; Wells, Guy (2025). "Lightcurve and Rotation Period of 46925 Bradyharan" (PDF). The Minor Planet Bulletin. 52 (3): 216.
  3. ↑ Reddy, Vishnu; Kelley, Michael S.; Dotson, Jessie; Farnocchia, Davide; et al. (31 May 2022). "Apophis Planetary Defense Campaign". The Planetary Science Journal. 3 (5): 123. doi:10.3847/PSJ/ac66eb.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
  4. ↑ Bamberger, Daniel (7 September 2025). "A preliminary orbit for the satellite of dwarf planet (136472) Makemake". arXiv:2509.05880 [astro-ph.EP].
  5. ↑ Bamberger, Daniel (March 2025). "Could (355256) 2007 KN4 Become a Large Potentially Hazardous Asteroid?". Research Notes of the AAS. 9 (59). doi:10.3847/2515-5172/adc009.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
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