Named for the capital city of the Austrian province of Styria {see planet  (6482)}. With its three universities and a population of 240,000, Graz is a center of culture, music and the arts. The city also hosts and supports the Institute for Space Research of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. Among its distinguished past residents is Johannes Kepler {see planet  (1134)}, who lived there from 1594 to 1600. (M 20519) _ _.