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
![](https://asiangeo.com/2017/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Asia_on_the_globe_Asia_centered-1024x1024.jpg)
#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
![](https://asiangeo.com/2017/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/YuriNasa-1024x767.jpg)
#3
Asteroid Name: 2266 Tchaikovsky
Behind the Name: The famous Russian composer, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
![](https://asiangeo.com/2017/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Tchaikovsky2-683x1024.jpg)
#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
![](https://asiangeo.com/2017/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/NORGAYwiki.jpg)
#5
Asteroid Name: 6562 Takoyaki
Behind the Name: A popular Japanese snack of cooked balls of batter filled with octopus, cheese, or other fillings
![](https://asiangeo.com/2017/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Takoyaki-1024x768.jpg)
#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
![](https://asiangeo.com/2017/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/HayaoShutter-1024x683.jpg)
#7
Asteroid Name: 10160 Totoro
Behind the Name: The loveable titular character of the hit Japanese animated film, My Neighbour Totoro
![](https://asiangeo.com/2017/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/636139953262819749-1669588238_my-neighbor-totoro-wallpaper-1024x576.jpg)
#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
![](https://asiangeo.com/2017/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/JayShutter-1024x683.jpg)
#9
Asteroid Name: 316201 Malala
Behind the Name: Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani female activist, is the world’s youngest Nobel Prize laureate
![](https://asiangeo.com/2017/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Malala_Yousafzai_2015-983x1024.jpg)
#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
![](https://asiangeo.com/2017/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Bed-In_for_Peace_Amsterdam_1969_-_John_Lennon__Yoko_Ono_03-1024x675.jpg)
This piece is part of a series on astrotourism. To read our exclusive feature, see ASIAN Geographic Issue 129: Science and Technology.