(12818) Tomhanks Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 13 April 1996 by Spacewatch at Kitt Peak.
Tom Hanks (b. 1956) has starred in such films as Splash, Sleepless in Seattle, Apollo 13 and Saving Private Ryan, winning Oscars for his roles in Philadelphia and Forrest Gump. He was executive producer for the miniseries From the Earth to the Moon, which dramatized the Apollo expeditions to the moon.Naming citation (20030318/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Tomhanks is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Tomhanks is 2.89 au from the Sun and 2.99 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 12818 |
| Provisional designation | 1996 GU8 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 5.45 km (#9,803 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.216 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.91 |
| Orbital period | 4.53 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.74 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.58 – 2.90 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0580 |
| Inclination | 3.85° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.57 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Tom
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