(13978) Hiwasa Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 4 May 1992 by T. Seki at Geisei.
Hiwasa is a coastal town in Tokushima prefecture. Its Ohama Beach is known for sea turtles coming ashore to lay eggs and has an aquarium specializing in sea turtles.Naming citation (20091004/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Hiwasa is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Hiwasa is 2.29 au from the Sun and 2.40 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 13978 |
| Provisional designation | 1992 JQ |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 5.97 km (#8,968 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.260 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.6 |
| Orbital period | 4.23 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.62 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.13 – 3.10 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.187 |
| Inclination | 12.3° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.14 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.