Named in memory of Annibale De Gasparis (1819–1892), Italian astronomer, director of the Observatory of Naples from 1864 to 1889. A great observer of minor planets, he discovered visually those numbered 10, 11, 13, 15, 16, 20, 24, 63 and 83 and made an independent discovery of (14). He was also the author of several memoirs on orbit determination and other problems in theoretical astronomy. (M 17030) _ _.