Named in honor of Etsuko Kobayashi (b. 1926), the first female lecturer at the Gotoh Planetarium and Astronomical Museum in Tokyo, where she worked for 30 years until 1986. Famous for her lecturing style, which left many listeners spellbound, she has educated many young lecturers who are active in the field today. She also worked for the publisher of a science journal and is now a well-known author of astronomy books herself. Name proposed by the discoverers following a suggestion by S. Kimura.
