You’d be surprised at some of the Asian things these asteroids are named after

Text Lim Jun Xi

#1

Asteroid Name: 67 Asia

Behind the Name: This asteroid was the very first to be discovered from Asia

#2

Asteroid Name: 1772 Gagarin

Behind the Name: Yuri Gagarin, a Russian cosmonaut, was the first human being to go to space and return alive

#3

Asteroid Name: 2266 Tchaikovsky

Behind the Name: The famous Russian composer, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

#4

Asteroid Name: 6481 Tenzing

Behind the Name: Tenzing Norgay, the famous Tibetan mountain guide, and Sir Edmund Hillary were the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest

#5

Asteroid Name: 6562 Takoyaki

Behind the Name: A popular Japanese snack of cooked balls of batter filled with octopus, cheese, or other fillings

#6

Asteroid Name: 8883 Miyazakihayao

Behind the Name: Hayao is the co-founder of Studio Ghibli and the director of many famous anime films such as Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro, and Princess Mononoke

#7

Asteroid Name: 10160 Totoro

Behind the Name: The loveable titular character of the hit Japanese animated film, My Neighbour Totoro

#8

Asteroid Name: 257248 Chouchiehlun

Behind the Name: Chinese pop star Jay Chou, or Zhou Jie Lun, had this asteroid named after him by a Taiwanese astronomer fan

#9

Asteroid Name: 316201 Malala

Behind the Name: Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani female activist, is the world’s youngest Nobel Prize laureate

#10

Asteroid Name: 327695 Yokoono

Behind the Name: Yoko Ono (right), the Japanese peace activist and artist, was married to John Lennon (left) of the Beatles

This piece is part of a series on astrotourism. To read our exclusive feature, see ASIAN Geographic Issue 129: Science and Technology.