(15916) Shigeoyamada Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 25 October 1997 by N. Sato at Chichibu.
Shigeo Yamada (1942-2002), an aerospace engineer at the National Space Development Agency of Japan, managed the lunar explorer KAGUYA and the engineering test satellites ETS-VII. Generous and thoughtful, he devoted himself to working on NASDA projects until the “fuel” of his life was finally exhausted.Naming citation (20100726/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Shigeoyamada is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Shigeoyamada is 2.48 au from the Sun and 2.12 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 15916 |
| Provisional designation | 1997 UL7 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 4.47 km (#11,696 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.233 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.19 |
| Orbital period | 3.72 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.40 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.28 – 2.52 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0495 |
| Inclination | 3.77° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.29 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Shigeo
All asteroids named after someone called Shigeo
Also discovered on 25 October 1997
- (8314) Tsuji
- (9673) Kunishimakoto
- (10219) Penco
- (10616) Inouetakeshi
- (10617) Takumi
- (14988) Tryggvason
- (14989) Tutte
- (16810) Pavelaleksandrov
- (26213) Ayani
- (27977) Distratis
- (29474) Toyoshima
- (35371) Yokonozaki