Atsushi Takahashi (高橋 篤志, Takahashi Atsushi, born 1965) is a Japanese amateur astronomer and discoverer of minor planets.[2]
He lives in Kitami on the island of Hokkaidō in northern Japan, where he observes asteroids and comets at the Kitami Observatory (code 400). Takahashi is a member of the local astronomy club『Hokkaidō Suisei Shōwakusei Kaigi』(北海道彗星・小惑星会議, English: Conference for comets and asteroids Hokkaidō).[2]
With his colleague Kazuro Watanabe, he is credited by the Minor Planet Center with the co-discovery of 22 minor planets between 1989 and 1991,[1] including his lowest numbered discovery, the asteroid 4644 Oumu.[3] Takahashi and Watanabe also discovered the inner main-belt asteroid 5214 Oozora in 1990, while working at Hokkaido Kitami Observatory.[4] 5214 Oozora is named for Super Ōzora, the first express train in Hokkaidō.[5]
At Watanabe's suggestion, the main-belt asteroid 4842 Atsushi, discovered by Seiji Ueda and Hiroshi Kaneda at Kushiro in 1989, was named in Takahashi's honor.[2] Naming citation was published on 1 September 1993 (M.P.C. 22503).[6]
