Asteroid 7906, Melanchthon, was discovered on September 24, 1960 by C. J. van Houten and Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld at Palomar Observatory near Pauma Valley, California, in the course of the Palomar-Leiden Survey. It has a period of 5 years, 121 days.
It was named after Philipp Melanchthon (nee Philipp Schwarzert, 1497-1560), a German religious reformer who worked closely with Martin Luther. (Melanchthon is the Greek translation of Schwarzert, which means "black earth" in German). Melanchthon, a bright and precocious kid, was attending lectures at the University of Heidelberg at the age of twelve. He was a humanist and a strong influence on Protestant Christianity.
Philipp Melanchthon
The meaning of asteroid Melanchthon seems to be: grasping one's own power.
The glyph for Melanchthon is mine.