Named in honor of Kenzo Kohno (b. 1934), staff member of Akashi Planetarium since 1960 and its director from 1982 to 1995. He served as president of the Japan Planetarium Society from 1983 to 1984. In 1981, he was awarded the Minister's Prize by the Japanese Ministry of Education. Name proposed by the discoverer following a suggestion by T. Sato and A. Fujii.