is a Japanese astronomer

Astronomer

An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...

.

He is a prolific discoverer of asteroid

Asteroid

Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...

s. He has worked extensively at the Kuma Kogen Astronomical Observatory

Kuma Kogen Astronomical Observatory

The Kuma Kogen Astronomical Observatory is located at Kumakōgen in Ehime Prefecture, Japan.The observatory is in the Furusato Country Open Air Museum that incorporates the Seiten Castle...

 near Kuma

Kumakogen, Ehime

is a town located in Kamiukena District, Ehime, Japan. The town was formed on August 1, 2004 from the merger of the town of Kuma, and the villages of Mikawa, Omogo and Yanadani, all from Kamiukena District....

, Ehime Prefecture

Ehime Prefecture

is a prefecture in northwestern Shikoku, Japan. The capital is Matsuyama.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, Ehime prefecture was known as Iyo Province...

, where he remains a staff member. His observations of asteroid brightness are well known.

The asteroid 10633 Akimasa

10633 Akimasa

10633 Akimasa is a main belt asteroid discovered on February 20, 1998 by P. Pravec at the Ondřejov Observatory.- External links :* -References:...

 (1998 DP1), orbiting between Mars

Mars

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...

 and Jupiter

Jupiter

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...

, is named after him and was named in 1999 to coincide with him becoming a father.

Nakamura named Main Belt asteroid 44711 Carp

44711 Carp

44711 Carp is a main-belt asteroid discovered on October 3, 1999 by A. Nakamura at Kuma Kogen.Nakamura named this Main-belt asteroid for "his favorite baseball team", Hiroshima Carp.- External links :*...

 (1999 TD4) for "his favorite baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

 team," the Hiroshima Carp. He named 9081 Hideakianno

9081 Hideakianno

9081 Hideakianno is a main-belt asteroid discovered on November 3, 1994 by A. Nakamura at Kuma Kogen. It is named after Hideaki Anno, founder of Gainax and director of Neon Genesis Evangelion and other famous anime works. Nakamura and Anno are old friends and went to the same high school in Ube,...

 after Japanese animation and film director, Hideaki Anno

Hideaki Anno

is a Japanese animation and film director. Anno is best known for his work on the popular anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. His style has come to be defined by the touches of postmodernism that he injects into his work, as well as the thorough portrayal of characters' thoughts and emotions,...

.

Nakamura is a member of the Yamaneko Group of Comet Observers.

External links

• Kuma Kogen Astronomical Observatory - English version