(8866) Tanegashima Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 26 January 1992 by Mukai, M., Takeishi, M. at Kagoshima.
Named for the small, long and narrow island to the south of Kyushu Island in southeastern Japan. It contains the launch site for the National Space Development Agency.Naming citation (19990202/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Tanegashima is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Tanegashima is 3.64 au from the Sun and 4.46 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 8866 |
| Provisional designation | 1992 BR |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 21.6 km (#2,008 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0380 |
| Rotation period | 13.5 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 12.16 |
| Orbital period | 5.50 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.12 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.58 – 3.65 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.171 |
| Inclination | 11.6° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.62 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.