(6976) Kanatsu Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 23 May 1993 by S. Otomo at Kiyosato.
Named in honor of Kazuyoshi Kanatsu (b. 1953), discoverer of the 1993 nova V705 Cas. Name proposed by the discoverer following a suggestion by H. Abe.Naming citation (19990728/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Kanatsu is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Kanatsu is 2.10 au from the Sun and 1.26 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 6976 |
| Provisional designation | 1993 KD2 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 5.50 km (#9,711 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.307 |
| Rotation period | 4.03 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.18 |
| Orbital period | 3.56 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.33 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.94 – 2.73 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.169 |
| Inclination | 8.25° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.949 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Kazuyoshi
All asteroids named after someone called Kazuyoshi