Masanao Abe (b. 1967) is a planetary scientist at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science. A contributor to small-body science, he is principal investigator for the near-infrared spectrometer on board the MUSES-C Hayabusa spacecraft, which aims for the world's first sample return from a minor planet.
Discovered on 20-12-1996 in Oizumi by Kobayashi, T.