(19254) Shojitomoko Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 11 November 1994 by S. Suzuki M. Hirasawa at Nyukasa.
This name is a combination of the names of the first discoverer's parents, Shoji (b. 1929) and Tomoko (1931–2011) Hirasawa. Shoji made his son's first telescope. He is a master at making bamboo fishing rods, a style peculiar to Japan.Naming citation (WGSBN Bull. 2, #13, 5), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Shojitomoko is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Shojitomoko is 2.79 au from the Sun and 3.05 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 19254 |
| Provisional designation | 1994 VD7 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 14.2 km (#3,357 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0780 |
| Rotation period | 7.38 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 12.81 |
| Orbital period | 5.60 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.15 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.77 – 3.53 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.120 |
| Inclination | 20.8° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.83 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.