NASA names asteroid "Hossi" after Sabine Hossenfelder

[Swamp Thing]

 

[Vanadium 50]

I didn't think NASA named asteroids. I thought it was the Minor Planet Center/

 

[Orodruin]

I didn't think NASA named asteroids. I thought it was the Minor Planet Center/

Patato potahto.

 

[glappkaeft]

I didn't think NASA named asteroids. I thought it was the Minor Planet Center/

It a bit more complicated than that. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has the "Working Group Small Bodies Nomenclature" (WGSBN) but they sort of don't really name asteroids, they just approve names. The process starts when the Minor Planet Center has good enough data on the orbit.

For the first 10 years after discovery the discoverer has a right to suggest names and after that it becomes a little more complicated (a previous suggested name can be approved or MGSNB may assign on). In this case the asteroid has been known for 30 years and I cannot find any mention of who suggested the name but I suspect it is the MGSBN in this case.

https://www.wgsbn-iau.org/documentation/NamesAndCitations.pdf