216014

216014 is the official numerical designation given by the Minor Planet Center (MPC) to a small body in the Solar System, commonly an asteroid. The number signifies that the object's orbit has been sufficiently confirmed for permanent cataloging. Before a number is assigned, such objects receive provisional designations based on the date of discovery, and only after orbit determination can they receive a permanent number and, in some cases, a name.

As with other numbered minor planets, 216014 would be classified by its orbital characteristics. Most numbered minor planets reside in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, but there are also near-Earth and distant, outer-belt objects in the catalog. The precise orbital elements—such as semi-major axis, eccentricity, and inclination—and any known physical properties, like diameter and albedo, are recorded in public databases maintained by the MPC and mirrored in the JPL Small-Body Database.

Naming of numbered minor planets is not automatic. After numbering, discoverers may propose a name, which must be approved by the International Astronomical Union for official use. If no name is assigned, the object is referred to solely by its number, 216014.

Bibliographic and observational records for 216014 are maintained by asteroid catalogs and observatories that contribute to the MPC's database. These records enable researchers to track the object’s orbit, study its physical characteristics, and compare it with other cataloged bodies in the Solar System.