Named for the Greek philosopher Demokritos of Abdera (460–380 B.C.), well-known for his atomistic theory of matter. He was a pupil of Leukippos {see planet  (5950)}, to whom he owed many ideas. His great concern was to harmonize Ionic cosmology with Greek ontology, and he is credited with at least 57 works on ethics, physics, nature, mathematics and art. He considered an observation to be the result of an interaction between observer and observed. (M 24919) _ _.