Named in honor of Michel Blanc (b. 1949), French planetary scientist and director of the Observatoire Midi Pyrenées. Blanc is a expert in dynamics and electrodynamics in the space environments of the earth and planets. He is Cassini Mission Interdisciplinary Scientist for studies of Saturn's magnetosphere. As president of the National Planetology Program of the Institut National de Science de l´Univers of the French National Scientific Research Council, Blanc has played a pivotal role in promoting and developing planetary science in France. Name suggested and citation prepared by M. Fulchignoni.