(37630) Thomasmore Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 9 October 1993 by E. W. Elst at La Silla.
Thomas More (1478-1535) was a philosopher, statesman and a noted Renaissance humanist. He wrote Utopia (1516), a treatise on the political system of an imaginary island. He was beheaded after refusing to take the Oath of Supremacy, affirming Henry VIII's position as head of the Church of England.Naming citation (MPC batch dated 2016-03-23), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Thomasmore is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Thomasmore is 1.84 au from the Sun and 2.01 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 37630 |
| Provisional designation | 1993 TM20 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 2.82 km (#15,622 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0660 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 16.04 |
| Orbital period | 3.36 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.24 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.84 – 2.65 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.181 |
| Inclination | 2.28° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.821 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Thomas
- (4008) Corbin
- (4739) Tomahrens
- (4830) Thomascooley
- (4897) Tomhamilton
- (5548) Thosharriot
- (6019) Telford
- (6361) Koppel
- (8236) Gainsborough
- (8382) Mann
- (8793) Thomasmuller
- (9460) McGlynn
- (9536) Statler
All asteroids named after someone called Thomas
Also discovered on 9 October 1993
- (7098) Reaumur
- (8299) Tealeoni
- (8395) Rembaut
- (8541) Schalkenmehren
- (9203) Myrtus
- (9383) Montelimar
- (9384) Aransio
- (9385) Avignon
- (10358) Kirchhoff
- (12363) Marinmarais
- (12759) Joule
- (12760) Maxwell