(5059) Saroma Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 11 January 1988 by Endate, K., Watanabe, K. at Kitami.
Named for a lake in Abashiri National Park in eastern Hokkaido. With an area of 151.2 square kilometers Saroma is the third largest lake in Japan, and it is famous for its harvest of scallops and oysters. Each autumn many visitors come to see its large stock of “sango-so” plants.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 6, #10, 5), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Saroma is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Saroma is 2.81 au from the Sun and 3.71 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 5059 |
| Provisional designation | 1988 AF |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 9.51 km (#5,406 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.257 |
| Rotation period | 4.07 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 12.48 |
| Orbital period | 4.17 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.59 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.24 – 2.94 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.136 |
| Inclination | 12.7° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.26 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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
← (5058) Tarrega · (5060) Yoneta →