Yuji Hyakutake

Yuji Hyakutake (百武裕司, Hyakutake Yūji^?, July 7, 1950, Shimabara, Nagasaki – April 10, 2002, Kagoshima) was a Japanese amateur astronomer who discovered Comet C/1996 B2, also known as Comet Hyakutake on January 31, 1996 while using 25×150 binoculars.

In 1994, he moved to Kagoshima, Japan in order to find comets. His first discovery was Comet C/1995 Y1, on December 26, 1995.

Hyakutake discovered C/1996 B2 while looking for C/1995 Y1, a comet he had discovered a few weeks before.

The media has stated that Hyakutake became interested in astronomy after seeing Comet Ikeya-Seki in 1965.

He died in Kokubu, Kagoshima, in 2002 at age 51 of an aneurysm which had led to internal bleeding.

Asteroid 7291 Hyakutake is named after him.