(16731) Mitsumata Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 17 April 1996 by Saji at Saji.
Mitsumata is an ingredient used in traditional Japanese papermaking and represents a local Saji industry. Saji village produces the major share of this country's handmade Japanese paper, the paper of choice for the writing of calligraphy.Naming citation (20010109/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Mitsumata is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Mitsumata is 2.25 au from the Sun and 2.61 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 16731 |
| Provisional designation | 1996 HK1 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.72 |
| Orbital period | 3.32 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.22 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.01 – 2.43 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0943 |
| Inclination | 6.87° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.02 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also discovered on 17 April 1996
- (7537) Solvay
- (8116) Jeanperrin
- (8308) Julie-Melissa
- (9430) Erichthonios
- (9664) Brueghel
- (13177) Hansschmidt
- (13644) Lynnanderson
- (15364) Kenglover
- (15861) Ispahan
- (16730) Nijisseiki
- (18493) Demoleon
- (23617) Duna