<p>619 is the largest repeat number supported by the current packed notation for provisional designations, so the Minor Planet Center is avoiding assigning anything with 620 until they finish implementing an extended notation:</p>
<p><a href="https://groups.io/g/mpml/topic/provisional_code_maximum/109769585" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://groups.io/g/mpml/topic/provisional_code_maximum/109769585</a>
<a href="https://minorplanetcenter.net/mpcops/documentation/provisional-designation-definition/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://minorplanetcenter.net/mpcops/documentation/provisional-designation-definition/</a></p>
<p><span class="math-container">$2015$</span> <span class="math-container">$BV_{619}$</span> has packed designation K15Bz9V. There's also <span class="math-container">$2015$</span> <span class="math-container">$BX_{619}$</span> (mentioned in that forum thread), which is <a href="https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=K15Bz9X" rel="nofollow noreferrer">K15Bz9X</a>. There's nothing after &quot;z&quot;=61 in the current packed code, so K15Bz9Z would be the last provisional designation currently possible for that month. It <a href="https://groups.io/g/mpml/message/38171" rel="nofollow noreferrer">sounds like</a> K15Bz9X has been the highest-numbered minor planet for at least a couple years, basically because they're up against this limit.</p>
<p>Runner-up is apparently 2014 W (late November 2014) with cycle numbers up to 616, e.g. <a href="https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=K14Wz6O" rel="nofollow noreferrer">K14Wz6O</a> = <span class="math-container">$2014$</span> <span class="math-container">$WO_{616}$</span>. That half-month is also under a moratorium for the same reason.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-12-31T22:11:19.857Z
2024-12-31T22:13:56.833Z
2024-12-31T22:13:56.833Z
Adam Scherlis
<p>According to <a href="https://oursolarsystem.fandom.com/wiki/Provisional_designation_in_astronomy" rel="nofollow noreferrer">one website</a>, as of 2012, the highest &quot;repeat number&quot; (i.e., the numeral that follows a provisional designation - think the &quot;69&quot; in <span class="math-container">$2014 \space MU_{69}$</span>) was 531 (<span class="math-container">$2005 \space UA_{531}$</span>).</p>
<p>To investigate what the largest number is <strong>now</strong>, I tried to look up the number of new minor planets by month (see <a href="http://www.minorplanetcenter.org/iau/lists/Desigs.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">MPC</a>), but this was last updated in 2019. This was also complicated by the skipping of certain designators (I think by retraction), so the obvious method of converting from, e.g. the 14208 discoveries in H2 of January 2015 to <span class="math-container">$2015 
 \space BJ_{568}$</span> (since 14208=25*568+8) did not work, as <span class="math-container">$2015 \space BV_{619}$</span> (among many others later in the sequence) exist.</p>
<p>What is the largest repeat number for provisional designations?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-08-02T20:01:41.937Z
I also note the discovery of 2003 EL61 was not announced until 2005, so the answer to this question will probably change with time, even years after the half-month in question.
costrom
<observational-astronomy><planet><asteroids>
What is the highest minor planet provisional designation "repeat number"?
costrom
# What is the highest minor planet provisional designation "repeat number"?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-08-02)

According to [one website](https://oursolarsystem.fandom.com/wiki/Provisional_designation_in_astronomy), as of 2012, the highest "repeat number" (i.e., the numeral that follows a provisional designation - think the "69" in $2014 \space MU\_{69}$) was 531 ($2005 \space UA\_{531}$).

To investigate what the largest number is **now**, I tried to look up the number of new minor planets by month (see [MPC](http://www.minorplanetcenter.org/iau/lists/Desigs.html)), but this was last updated in 2019. This was also complicated by the skipping of certain designators (I think by retraction), so the obvious method of converting from, e.g. the 14208 discoveries in H2 of January 2015 to $2015
\space BJ\_{568}$ (since 14208=25\*568+8) did not work, as $2015 \space BV\_{619}$ (among many others later in the sequence) exist.

What is the largest repeat number for provisional designations?

**Tags:** observational-astronomy, planet, asteroids

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: I also note the discovery of 2003 EL61 was not announced until 2005, so the answer to this question will probably change with time, even years after the half-month in question.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2024-12-31. Score: 0

619 is the largest repeat number supported by the current packed notation for provisional designations, so the Minor Planet Center is avoiding assigning anything with 620 until they finish implementing an extended notation:

<https://groups.io/g/mpml/topic/provisional_code_maximum/109769585>
<https://minorplanetcenter.net/mpcops/documentation/provisional-designation-definition/>

$2015$ $BV\_{619}$ has packed designation K15Bz9V. There's also $2015$ $BX\_{619}$ (mentioned in that forum thread), which is [K15Bz9X](https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=K15Bz9X). There's nothing after "z"=61 in the current packed code, so K15Bz9Z would be the last provisional designation currently possible for that month. It [sounds like](https://groups.io/g/mpml/message/38171) K15Bz9X has been the highest-numbered minor planet for at least a couple years, basically because they're up against this limit.

Runner-up is apparently 2014 W (late November 2014) with cycle numbers up to 616, e.g. [K14Wz6O](https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=K14Wz6O) = $2014$ $WO\_{616}$. That half-month is also under a moratorium for the same reason.


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