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4897 Tomhamilton, provisional designation 1987 QD₆, is a stony asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 14 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 22 August 1987, by American astronomer Eleanor Helin at Palomar Observatory, California. It was later named after American writer Thomas William Hamilton, an author of astronomy books and participant in the Apollo program.

Classification and orbit

Tomhamilton orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 2.7–3.4 AU once every 5 years and 4 months (1,953 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.12 and an inclination of 11° with respect to the ecliptic.

In August 1950, a first precovery was taken at Palomar, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 37 years prior to its official discovery observation. It had also been previously identified as 1971 QV₁ and 1971 SB₁ at Crimea–Nauchnij.

On 11 January 2011, it was at opposition (coinciding with Hamilton's 72nd birthday) at a distance of 2.476 AU. Given the moderately elliptical orbit, this asteroid can reach an apparent magnitude from Earth of between 15.3 and 19.5 .

Naming

This minor planet was named after Thomas William Hamilton, an American (born San Francisco, January 11, 1939) who had worked on the Apollo program, determining fuel requirements and radar accuracy requirements for lunar orbit rendezvous. He later worked as an astronomy educator and planetarium director, and as an author on astronomical topics, as well as of time travel and science fiction novels. Hamilton and Helin were acquainted, as he had interviewed her at an astronomical conference for a cable television show he was producing at the time. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 4 October 2009 (M.P.C. 67215).

Physical characteristics

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Tomhamilton measures 13.7 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.215, which indicates that it of a stony rather than of a carbonaceous composition.

Lightcurve

As of 2017, no rotational lightcurve of Tomhamilton has been obtained from photometric observations. It rotation period, poles and shape remain unknown.

References

1. ^ "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 4897 Tomhamilton (1987 QD6)" (2017-06-05 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
2. ^ "4897 Tomhamilton (1987 QD6)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
3. ^ Masiero, Joseph R.; Mainzer, A. K.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Dailey, J.; et al. (November 2011). "Main Belt Asteroids with WISE/NEOWISE. I. Preliminary Albedos and Diameters". The Astrophysical Journal. 741 (2): 20. arXiv:1109.4096. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...68M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/68. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
4. "4897 Tomhamilton (1987 QD6)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
5. "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
6. "LCDB Data for (4897) Tomhamilton". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 4 August 2017.

External links

• Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info Archived 16 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine)
• Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
• Asteroids and comets rotation curves, CdR – Observatoire de Genève, Raoul Behrend
• Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (1)-(5000) – Minor Planet Center
• 4897 Tomhamilton at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
  • Ephemeris · Observation prediction · Orbital info · Proper elements · Observational info
• 4897 Tomhamilton at the JPL Small-Body Database
  • Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit viewer · Orbit parameters · Physical parameters
• Planetarian (Journal of the International Planetarium Society), March 2011, Vol. 40, No. 1, page 26

• Minor planet object articles (numbered)
• Background asteroids
• Discoveries by Eleanor F. Helin
• Named minor planets
• Astronomical objects discovered in 1987