(10401) Masakoba Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 6 November 1997 by T. Kobayashi at Oizumi.
Masateru Kobayashi (b. 1953) is a Japanese amateur astronomer and the chairperson of the Astronomical Society of Yamaguchi prefecture. He has served as a guide at numerous stargazing meetings, and has planned and conducted many total solar eclipse tours.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 1, #7, 5), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Masakoba is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Masakoba is 2.93 au from the Sun and 3.87 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 10401 |
| Provisional designation | 1997 VD3 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 4.46 km (#11,711 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.268 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.18 |
| Orbital period | 4.48 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.72 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.50 – 2.93 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0800 |
| Inclination | 0.634° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.51 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.