(16878) Tombickler Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 24 January 1998 by NEAT at Haleakala.
Thomas C. Bickler (b. 1950) is responsible for the NEAT camera electronics. He has experience with imaging instruments and has worked with CCD camera electronics systems extensively. During his 21 years at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory he helped develop and deliver flight hardware for Galileo, Cassini and Space Telescope.Naming citation (20010509/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Tombickler is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Tombickler is 2.75 au from the Sun and 2.67 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 16878 |
| Provisional designation | 1998 BL9 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 14.5 km (#3,252 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.0483 |
| Rotation period | 3.84 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.14 |
| Orbital period | 4.39 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.68 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.17 – 3.19 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.190 |
| Inclination | 12.0° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.22 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 24 January 1998
- (10631) Koppes
- (11160) Wechsler
- (11672) Cuney
- (16879) Campai
- (19379) Labrecque
- (35435) Erikayang
- (58691) Luigisannino