(18903) Matsuura Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 10 July 2000 by K. Watanabe at Sapporo.
The geographer and explorer Takeshirou Matsuura (1818-1888) traveled throughout the Ezo under the order of the Edo-shogunate. He showed understanding to and sympathy with the native Ainus. He renamed Ezo as Hokkaido and introduced names for many places on the island.Naming citation (20010309/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Matsuura is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Matsuura is 2.97 au from the Sun and 3.02 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 18903 |
| Provisional designation | 2000 ND29 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 5.71 km (#9,381 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.259 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.46 |
| Orbital period | 4.09 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.56 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.05 – 3.06 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.198 |
| Inclination | 9.32° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.05 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
More named asteroids discovered by K. Watanabe
- (4613) Mamoru
- (4976) Choukyongchol
- (5069) Tokeidai
- (5970) Ohdohrikouen
- (7365) Sejong
- (8895) Nha
- (12127) Mamiya
- (13407) Ikukomakino
- (18996) Torasan
← (18891) Kamler · (18905) Weigan →