1494 Savo, provisional designation 1938 SJ, is a stony background asteroid from the inner region of the asteroid belt, approximately 8 kilometers in diameter. Discovered by astronomer Yrjö Väisälä at the Turku Observatory in 1938, the asteroid was later named after the Finnish region of Savonia.^[2]

Savo was discovered on 16 September 1938, by Finnish astronomer Yrjö Väisälä at the Iso-Heikkilä Observatory near Turku, Finland.^[11] Two nights later, it was independently discovered by German astronomer Arno Arthur Wachmann at the Bergedorf Observatory in Hamburg.^[2] However, the Minor Planet Center only acknowledges the first discoverer. The asteroid was first identified as 1925 RL at the Crimean Simeiz Observatory in September 1929, or nine years before its official discovery observation.^[11]

Savo is an asteroid of the main belt's background population that does not belong to any known asteroid family.^[4] It orbits the Sun in the inner asteroid belt at a distance of 1.9–2.5 AU once every 3 years and 3 months (1,184 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.13 and an inclination of 2° with respect to the ecliptic.^[1] The body's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation at Turku in September 1938.^[11]

In the SMASS classification, Savo is an Sa-subtype that transitions from the stony S-type to the A-type asteroids.^[1]

This minor planet was named after Finnish historical province of Savonia.^[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center in January 1956 (M.P.C. 1350).^[12]