List of asteroid-discovering observatories
This article summarizes observatories that have discovered asteroids. Each observatory has its own section listing the asteroids it discovered, with credit given by the Minor Planet Center (MPC). Credits can go to individual discoverers (usually up to three) or to organizations.
Notable asteroid-discovering observatories
- Andrushivka Astronomical Observatory (Ukraine) — a private observatory near Andrushivka, Zhytomyr region, with IAU code A50. It has discovered a number of asteroids.
- Bohyunsan Optical Astronomy Observatory (BOAO) (South Korea) — located on Mount Bohyeon near Yeongcheon. Part of the East-Asian Planet Search Network with collaboration among BOAO (Korea), Xinglong Station (China), and Okayama Astrophysical Observatory (Japan). Each facility uses a 2-meter class telescope and instruments for precise measurements, and BOAO has discovered asteroids.
- Cerro El Roble Station (Chile) — a Chilean observing site where Carlos Torres (and collaborators) discovered or co-discovered numerous asteroids between 1968 and 1982.
- Naoto Sato Private Observatory (Chichibu, Japan) — private observatory with IAU code 369. It has discovered several asteroids.
- Geisei Observatory (Japan) — located in Geisei, Kōchi; directed by Tsutomu Seki. It has discovered a number of asteroids.
- Kitami Observatory (Japan) — has discovered several asteroids.
- Robert Linderholm Private Observatory (USA; 1933–2013) — discovered a number of asteroids.
- Nanyo Civil Astronomical Observatory (Nan’yō, Japan) — established in 1986 by the Nanyo Astronomical Lovers Club (the society itself was founded in 1983). It has discovered multiple asteroids.
- Oaxaca Observatory (Mexico) — has discovered several asteroids.
- Sormano Astronomical Observatory (Italy) — in northern Italy, it has discovered several asteroids, including 344581 Albisetti. Some earlier discoveries have been reassigned to amateur observers who worked at Sormano. The observatory’s 0.5-meter telescope was named after Marco Cavagna, who contributed as an observer and discoverer until his death in 2005.
- Rozhen Observatory (Bulgaria) — has discovered several asteroids.
- Yorii Observatory (Japan) — Japanese amateur astronomers Masaru Arai and Hiroshi Mori have collectively discovered many minor planets (about 45 as of 2016).
- Zeno Observatory (Edmond, Oklahoma, USA) — Tom Stafford has discovered numerous asteroids since 1997 at this site (observatory code 727), including objects such as 12061 Alena, 12533 Edmond, 13436 Enid, and 13688 Oklahoma.
Note: The MPC credits each numbered asteroid to its discoverer(s), which can be individuals or organizations. Some discoveries have later been reassigned as records are reviewed and updated.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 08:50 (CET).