(8946) Yoshimitsu Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 1 February 1997 by T. Kobayashi at Oizumi.
Tetsuo Yoshimitsu (b. 1970) works on research and development of planetary rovers and is the chief engineer of the asteroid surface explorer MINERVA for the Hayabusa mission. The novel technology resulting from his studies of mobile systems on minor-planet surfaces in a microgravity environment was installed in MINERVA.Naming citation (20031110/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Yoshimitsu is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Yoshimitsu is 3.09 au from the Sun and 3.96 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 8946 |
| Provisional designation | 1997 CO |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.13 |
| Orbital period | 4.89 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.88 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.58 – 3.18 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.103 |
| Inclination | 2.04° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.59 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Tetsuo
All asteroids named after someone called Tetsuo
Also discovered on 1 February 1997
- (8424) Toshitsumita
- (8945) Cavaradossi
- (9233) Itagijun
- (9432) Iba
- (12035) Ruggieri
- (13196) Rogerssmith
- (15376) Martak
- (23648) Kolar
- (23649) Tohoku