(8503) Masakatsu Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 21 November 1990 by Endate, K., Watanabe, K. at Kitami.
Masakatsu Fujimoto (b. 1948) played a leading role in constructing a laser interferometric gravitational wave detector, TAMA-300, which is the only interferometric-type detector in operation for gravitational waves emitted by a neutron-star binary or by supernovae in nearby galaxies.Naming citation (20000320/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Masakatsu is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Masakatsu is 1.84 au from the Sun and 0.910 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 8503 |
| Provisional designation | 1990 WX3 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 3.53 km (#13,874 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.428 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.03 |
| Orbital period | 3.28 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.21 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.84 – 2.58 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.169 |
| Inclination | 6.70° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.853 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 21 November 1990
- (4719) Burnaby
- (6247) Amanogawa
- (8165) Gnadig
- (9589) Deridder
- (10326) Kuragano
- (10327) Batens
- (12278) Kisohinoki
- (30835) Waterloo
- (48448) Tokuda
More named asteroids discovered by Endate, K., Watanabe, K.
- (4042) Okhotsk
- (4126) Mashu
- (4460) Bihoro
- (4491) Otaru
- (4497) Taguchi
- (4508) Takatsuki
- (4547) Massachusetts
- (4585) Ainonai
- (4607) Seilandfarm
- (4641) Ayako
- (4712) Iwaizumi
- (4773) Hayakawa
← (8502) Bauhaus · (8515) Corvan →