Naoto Sato (佐藤 直人 Satō Naoto, born 1953) is a Japanese amateur astronomer and 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.
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 crewmembers of the ISS (International Space Station).
Since 1995, he and his friend Takeshi Urata have discovered a large number of asteroids from Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture, including: 1995DJ2, Kamikochi, Azumino, Jonen, Iruma, and Sado. He has discovered so many asteroids that he is ranked among the top 50 asteroid discoverers in the world (The Astronomy Yearbook – 2008). The asteroid 6025 SATO-NAOTO, which Takeshi Urata discovered on December 30, 1992, was named after him.[1]
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).