astronomy

Naoto Satō

Naoto Satō is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Naoto Satō rather than just read about it. In short: Naoto Satō (佐藤直人, Satō Naoto; born 1953) is a Japanese amateur astronomer, discoverer of minor planets, and, by profession, a junior high school science teacher. As a planetarian, a member of the professional staff of a planetarium, he has done much for the spread of astronomy in Japan through speaking on planetaria and the results of astronomical observation.

Key takeaways

Naoto Satō belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Naoto Satō to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Naoto Satō from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Naoto Satō (佐藤直人, Satō Naoto; born 1953) is a Japanese amateur astronomer, discoverer of minor planets, and, by profession, a junior high school science teacher. As a planetarian, a member of the professional staff of a planetarium, he has done much for the spread of astronomy in Japan through speaking on planetaria and the results of astronomical observation. In 2001, while working as support staff at JK1ZAM, the club station of Iruma Children’s Center (an educational institution for children in Iruma City), he helped achieve the first ARISS school contact in Japan. Also, in 2003, as a coordinating teacher, he helped accomplish the first solo contact between a junior high school in Japan and the ISS, with the support of JK1ZAM. He regularly spoke on the astronomical talk program Sunset Café at the local radio station "FM CHAPPY 77.7" from December 2006 to November 2008. He held the position of vice-director on the board of the Saitama Planetarium Liaison Council (2007–2008). He supports ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station), which is a program that offers students an opportunity to experience the excitement of amateur radio by talking directly with crew members of the ISS (International Space Station). The Eos main-belt asteroid 6025 Naotosato, which Takeshi Urata discovered in 1992, was named after him.

Discoveries of minor planets

Since 1995, Satō has discovered a large number of minor planets from his own Chichibu Astronomical Observatory at Chichibu, including asteroids such as 7038 Tokorozawa, 7851 Azumino, 8581 Johnen, 8924 Iruma, 9418 Mayumi and 118230 Sado. He is ranked among the top 50 asteroid discoverers in the world (The Astronomy Yearbook – 2008). The Minor Planet Center credits him with the discovery of 142 minor planets during 1995–1998, of which 18 were co-discoveries with astronomer Takeshi Urata (also see table). Naoto Satō is also known for the prediscovery of C/1989 Y2, a parabolic comet credited to McKenzie–Russell.

List

See also List of minor planet discoverers

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Naoto Satō

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Naoto Satō claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Naoto Satō before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Naoto Satō ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Naoto Satō

In research: Naoto Satō appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Naoto Satō in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Naoto Satō is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1953 births, 20th-century Japanese astronomers, Discoverers of asteroids, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Naoto Satō outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Naoto Satō in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Naoto Satō means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Naoto Satō out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Naoto Satō in simple terms?

Why does Naoto Satō matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Naoto Satō?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Naoto Satō.