(20962) Michizane Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 12 March 1977 by Kosai, H., Hurukawa, K. at Kiso.
Sugawara no Michizane (845-903) was a noble, a scholar, a politician and a Kanshi poet. He is admired for his calligraphy, scholarship and poetry.Naming citation (MPC batch dated 2017-11-04), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Michizane is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Michizane is 2.93 au from the Sun and 2.58 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 20962 |
| Provisional designation | 1977 EW7 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 4.54 km (#11,551 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.179 |
| Rotation period | 20.6 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.08 |
| Orbital period | 4.24 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.62 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.30 – 2.94 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.122 |
| Inclination | 12.9° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.33 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 12 March 1977
- (3319) Kibi
- (4272) Entsuji
- (5454) Kojiki
- (6218) Mizushima
- (10009) Hirosetanso
- (12186) Mitukurigen
- (14315) Ogawamachi
- (14316) Higashichichibu
- (14795) Syoyou
- (15202) Yamada-Houkoku
- (15671) Suzannedebarbat
- (15672) Sato-Norio