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Discovered 1908 Mar. 30 by J. H. Metcalf at Taunton.
Named for the city of Newton, Massachusetts. (B. G. Marsden; AN 182, 332 (1909))
Named by Z. Daniel, Princeton University Observatory.
Previously, the name was interpreted as an honor for the great English physicist Isaac Newton. The correct interpretation was now given by Brian G. Marsden who met Zaccheus Daniel at the April 1960 meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Pittsburgh, PA. Marsden states: “As I interpreted it, the point was that Z. Daniel did not know whether to honor Isaac or H. A. Newton, so he got around the matter by choosing Newton, Massachusetts, instead.” The Small Bodies Names Committee in 1998 corrected the situation by naming planet (8000) to the great physicist.
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(2003). (662) Newtonia. In: Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_663
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_663
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