5224 Abbe (1982 DX3) is a main belt asteroid discovered on February 21, 1982 by Ziener and K. Kirsch at Tautenburg (033).
Named in memory of Ernst Karl Abbe (1840–1905), director of the Jena Observatory from 1877 to 1900. He was known for his fundamental contributions to optics. These include work on microscopes, the Abbe number and comparators—the last being very useful for the detection of minor planets. Abbe, a long-time collaborator and friend of Carl Zeiss, secured considerable financial support for the University of Jena from the Zeiss foundation. The minor planet was named on the occasion of the first meeting of the Astronomische Gesellschaft in the reunited Germany.