1088 Mitaka is a numbered minor planet located in the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. The object was assigned the provisional designation 1927 XX (the exact provisional code varies among sources) upon its discovery and later received the permanent number 1088 and the name “Mitaka” in honor of the city of Mitaka in Tokyo, Japan, which is notable for housing the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.
The asteroid is catalogued by the Minor Planet Center and listed in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Small‑Body Database, which provides its orbital elements, absolute magnitude, and other physical parameters. As a typical main‑belt asteroid, 1088 Mitaka follows an orbit with a semi‑major axis of roughly 2–3 AU, an orbital period of about 3.5–5 years, and an inclination of a few degrees to the ecliptic plane. Its absolute magnitude (H) is in the range typical for objects of a few tens of kilometres in diameter, indicating a size on that order, although precise dimensions are contingent upon assumptions about surface albedo.
The naming citation, published by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Small Body Nomenclature, attributes the name to the city of Mitaka, reflecting the locale’s contributions to astronomical research and education. No further cultural, historical, or scientific significance beyond its identification as a main‑belt asteroid has been recorded.
References
- Minor Planet Center, “MPC 1088 Mitaka.”
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, “Small‑Body Database Lookup: 1088 Mitaka.”
- International Astronomical Union, “Dictionary of Minor Planet Names.”