... Satellites of the planets are assigned a provisional designation (indicating year of discovery) by the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams ( CBAT ) upon satisfactory demonstration of the existence of a new object. ... In the past, Comets were first given a provisional designation, consisting of the year and a lowercase letter indicating the order of discovery in the year (e.g., 1994a was the first comet discovered or recovered in 1994, 1994b the second, etc.) ... Names .. ...

... Donate to Support Science Literacy . ... 2016 Annual Awards . The ASP is accepting nominations for the organizationтАЩs national annual awards which recognize special achievements in astronomy research, technology, education, and public outreach. ... Shop the AstroShop . ... The Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) is accepting nominations for the organizationтАЩs national annual awards which recognize special achievements in astronomy research, technology, education, and public outreach.. ...