Claim: Some of Kin Endate's notable achievements were discovering the minor planets (5648) 1990 VU1 and 6500 Kodaira and recording the first known recovery images of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, a comet that broke apart in July 1992 and collided with Jupiter in July 1994.
Evidence: He also recorded the first known precovery images of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with his private 10-inch (25 cm) diameter telescope on March 15, 1993, ten days before the official discovery of the comet.