(6989) Hoshinosato Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 6 December 1994 by T. Kobayashi at Oizumi.
Chichibu Hoshi-no-sato is home to more than ten astronomical observatories built by amateur astronomers. It is located in the Noboriya Highland Ranch at Chichibu, western Saitama prefecture. A “Star and Music” festival is held there every May.Naming citation (20030106/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Hoshinosato is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Hoshinosato is 2.88 au from the Sun and 3.43 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 6989 |
| Provisional designation | 1994 XH1 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 10.3 km (#4,932 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.201 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 12.55 |
| Orbital period | 5.22 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.01 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.71 – 3.31 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0998 |
| Inclination | 9.40° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.73 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.