(8086) Peterthomas Outer Main-belt Asteroid

Discovered on 1 September 1989 by E. Bowell at Palomar.

Named in honor of Peter C. Thomas (b. 1946), planetary scientist at Cornell University. Thomas has been a pioneer and leader in developing geodetic methods of determining the precise shapes and spin characteristics of irregularly shaped minor planets from spacecraft images and in geologic studies of minor planets and related small bodies. Name suggested by B. E. Clark and A. W. Harris, citation provided by J. Veverka.Naming citation (19990728/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL

Where Peterthomas is today

Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Peterthomas is 4.00 au from the Sun and 4.99 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.

Facts

Number	8086
Provisional designation	1989 RB6
Orbit class	Outer Main-belt Asteroid
Diameter	25.6 km (#1,645 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size)
Albedo	0.0740
Rotation period	8.13 hours
Absolute magnitude (H)	11.75
Orbital period	7.84 years
Semi-major axis	3.95 au
Perihelion – aphelion	3.13 – 4.76 au
Eccentricity	0.207
Inclination	12.1°
Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID)	2.15 au

Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.

Also named after someone called Peter

All asteroids named after someone called Peter

Also discovered on 1 September 1989

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All 554

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