A “minor planet” has been named in Eric Clapton’s honor. Minor Planet 4305 is known as “Clapton.” The citation announcing the name appeared in the Minor Planet Circular Number 16249 dated 10 April 1990.
A minor planet is another name for asteroid. Countless minor planets circle the sun in orbits between Mars and Jupiter. Astronomers believe asteroids are leftover debris from the formation of the solar system. They range in size from 960 kilometers (600 miles) to less than 1.6 kilometers (less than one mile) in diameter. Only about 30 asteroids have diameters greater than 192 kilometers (120 miles). Minor planets are spherical in shape, but some are oblong.
