(8940) Yakushimaru Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 29 January 1997 by T. Kobayashi at Oizumi.
Hiroko Yakushimaru (b. 1964) is a Japanese actress and singer. Since her debut in 1978 on Yasei no Shomei, she has appeared in 23 movies and seven TV dramas and has released more than 20 records. The number 8940 can be read as “Ya-Ku-Shi-Maru” in Japanese. The name was suggested by A. Nakamura.Naming citation (20001013/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Yakushimaru is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Yakushimaru is 3.01 au from the Sun and 3.09 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 8940 |
| Provisional designation | 1997 BA2 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 7.10 km (#7,509 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.221 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.21 |
| Orbital period | 5.02 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.93 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.83 – 3.04 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0360 |
| Inclination | 3.12° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.81 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Hiroko
All asteroids named after someone called Hiroko