Aomori is asteroid #19701 and also known as 1999 SH19. Aomori was discovered at the Anderson Mesa Station of the Lowell Observatory during the course of the Lowell Observatory Near-Earth-Object Search (LONEOS). Aomori’s orbit is characterized by a semi-major axis of 2.64 Astronomical Units, an eccentricity of 0.04, a period of revolution of 1 571 days, and an inclination of 21.0 degrees. Aomori belongs to the Hirayama-family Hansa.

Aomori is named after Aomori-ken (青森県), a prefecture of Japan and the prefecture, which is the northernmost prefecture located at the northernmost coast of the Japanese main island Honshū (本州). North of Aomori-ken (青森県) is the Tsugaru Kaikyō (津軽海峡), a strait, which connects the Sea of Japan with the Pacific Ocean between Hokkaidō (北海道) and Honshū (本州). West of Aomori-ken (青森県) is the Sea of Japan, east of Aomori-ken (青森県) is the Pacific Ocean. Aomori-ken (青森県) is on land only bordered by the prefectures Iwate (岩手) to the southeast and Akita (秋田) to the southwest. The captital of Aomori-ken (青森県) is Aomori-shi (青森市).

The prefecture has got an emblem, which Aomori-ken (青森県) also shows on its flag. This emblem is a geometrical shape, which roughly reflects the shape of the prefecture. Other symbols (important because astrology is a language of symbols) of Aomori-ken (青森県) are swans and apple blossoms. Aomori-ken (青森県) is a leading agricultural region producing most of Japan’s apples and also apples for export. Then more than eighty percent of the natural population of Thujopsis dolabrata, this is hiba or false arborvitae or in Japanese asunaro (あすなろ), grows in Aomori-ken (青森県). The wood of this plant is resistant to fungi, so it is used as a construction material. The plant has two varieties, the southern variety Thujopsis dolabrata var. dolabrata, also called Thujopsis dolabrata var. australis, and the northern variety Thujopsis dolabrata var. hondae, also known as Aomori hiba.

The asteroid got named in 2012 together with several other asteroids after namesakes, which are the names of areas, which suffered from the disaster in 2011. Aomori-ken (青森県) was only partly affected and many other historic reasons could also have been found for naming an asteroid Aomori. The name literally means blue forest, but could also be translated as green forest. There are several other asteroids, that obtained names having to do with forests, for example Nibutani, Kodomonomori, or Kumamori. The asteroid Mori represents forests in general. So Aomori must have a very specialized meaning. It can’t simply represent a green forest. Because Aomori belongs to the Hirayama-family Hansa, so Aomori could represent trading with wood. Maybe also transporting wood or the species Thujopsis dolabrata. But this species got so many alternative names that it could already be represented better somewhere else in the sky. Aomori of course is a place name asteroid and so also representing places named Aomori.