(4949) Akasofu Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 29 November 1988 by T. Kojima at Chiyoda.
Syun-Ichi Akasofu (b. 1930), born in Japan, has been professor of geophysics since 1964 at the University of Fairbanks, Alaska, where he served as director of the International Arctic Research Center (1998-2007) and his auroral work received national and international recognition.Naming citation (20100330/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Akasofu is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Akasofu is 2.01 au from the Sun and 1.73 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 4949 |
| Provisional designation | 1988 WE |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 4.46 km (#11,716 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.322 |
| Rotation period | 2.68 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.51 |
| Orbital period | 3.42 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.27 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.89 – 2.65 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.168 |
| Inclination | 4.81° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.900 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.