(6878) Isamu Main-belt Asteroid

Discovered on 2 October 1994 by Endate, K., Watanabe, K. at Kitami.

Named in honor of Isamu Hirabayashi (b. 1941), amateur astronomer who founded the Japan Lunar and Planetary Observers Network when he was a high-school student in 1959 and who has been its president ever since. This organization soon became one of the most active groups of lunar and planetary observers and theorists in Japan. He also served as director of the Jupiter-Saturn Section of the Oriental Astronomical Association from 1971 to 1989. Name proposed by the discoverers following a suggestion by T. Sato and A. Fujii.Naming citation (19980808/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL

👶 Isamu as a baby name

Where Isamu is today

Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Isamu is 2.85 au from the Sun and 3.07 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.

Facts

Number	6878
Provisional designation	1994 TN2
Orbit class	Main-belt Asteroid
Diameter	8.25 km (#6,355 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size)
Albedo	0.0780
Rotation period	4.75 hours
Absolute magnitude (H)	14.11
Orbital period	3.87 years
Semi-major axis	2.46 au
Perihelion – aphelion	2.01 – 2.91 au
Eccentricity	0.182
Inclination	4.03°
Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID)	1.00 au

Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.

Also discovered on 2 October 1994

More named asteroids discovered by Endate, K., Watanabe, K.

All 535

← (6877) Giada · (6879) Hyogo →