Interest

Asteroid Named After Manga Creator Moyoco Anno

Studio Khara announced on their website that on April 6, the asteroid known as "2006 US217" was named "Moyocoanno" after the manga creator Moyoco Anno by Yasuhide Fujita, the scientist who discovered it on October 25, 2006. The asteroid was discovered at the Kuma Kogen Astronomical Observatory in Ehime prefecture, has an estimated diameter of 5 kilometers, orbits the sun every 5.49 years, and has an apparent magnitude of approximately 20. Anno is now the first female manga creator to have an asteroid named after her.

The Studio Khara post notes that Fujita has been friends with Hideaki Anno, Evangelion director and Moyoco Anno's husband, since the two were in high school. Previously, another asteroid discovered at the Kuma Kogen Astronomical Observatory was named "Hideakianno" after the director by Akimasa Nakamura.

Earlier this year, an asteroid was named after manga creator Jiro Taniguchi by the saji Astro Park observatory in Tottori City.

Moyoco Anno went on hiatus from creating manga in 2008, citing a health condition, but made a return in 2011 to draw a four-page, one-shot story.