(15921) Kintaikyo Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 1 November 1997 by A. Nakamura at Kuma Kogen.
Kintaikyo is one of the three most famous bridges in Japan, known collectively as Sanmeikyo. It spans the Nishikigawa River in Yamaguchi prefecture. The original 193-m-long wooden five-arch bridge was constructed in 1673. After its destruction by a typhoon, it was reconstructed in 1953, using the same design.Naming citation (20010109/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Kintaikyo is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Kintaikyo is 2.59 au from the Sun and 2.70 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 15921 |
| Provisional designation | 1997 VP |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.75 |
| Orbital period | 3.52 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.32 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.04 – 2.59 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.119 |
| Inclination | 6.40° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.03 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 1 November 1997
- (10400) Hakkaisan
- (14555) Shinohara
- (14998) Ogosemachi
- (15922) Masajisaito
- (26984) Fernand-Roland
- (27984) Herminefranz
- (33059) Matsuoka
- (44013) Iidetenmondai
- (46737) Anpanman
- (55875) Hirohatagaoka
- (192439) Cilek