Wolf Bickel

+ Minor planets discovered: 687 see

Wolf Bickel (born 6 July 1942, Bensberg) is a German amateur astronomer and a prolific discoverer of asteroids, observing at his private Bergisch Gladbach Observatory, Germany. He is the most successful German discoverer of minor planets.

Biography

Bickel studied electrical engineering at RWTH Aachen University and finished his studies in 1969. He became enthusiastic about astronomy, when he received a celestial chart and Galilean binoculars as a gift from his grandmother at the age of 16. Bickel began to grind parabolic mirrors to build his own telescopes. In 1995, he built a 0.6-meter aperture telescope and discovered his first minor planet, the main-belt asteroid the same year. He still uses this self-made telescope as of today.

He lives in Bergisch Gladbach, in the Cologne–Bonn Region of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The Minor Planet Center confused Bickel's home town with the location of his observatory, which is located 30 kilometers from his place of residence. Bickel named 12564 Ikeller an asteroid of the Koronis family, and his one and only named discovery after his wife, Ingeborg Bickel–Keller (b. 1941).

Honors and awards

The 12-kilometer sized asteroid 4324 Bickel, discovered by American astronomer Laurence Taff in 1981, was named in his honor.

Minor planet discoveries

Official MPC discoveries

As of 2017, he is credited by the Minor Planet Center (MPC) with the discovery of 665 numbered minor planets during 1995–2010.

Comparison with German discoverers

In terms of total discoveries, Bickel is the most successful German discoverer of asteroids, ahead of (professional) astronomer Freimut Börngen and the first amateur astronomer to claim this honor in more than 150 years. The comparison was published by Erwin Schwab in the journal of the German astronomical society "Vereinigung der Sternfreunde" in 2013, and applies a different metric than used by the MPC.

+ Most prolific German discoverers of minor planets as of April 2013 # Name Discoveries(a) Status(b) Period Location 1. Wolf Bickel 539 A 1995–2010 Bergisch Gladbach, Germany 2. Freimut Börngen 537 P 1961–1995 Tautenburg, Germany 3. Sebastian F. Hönig 494 A 2002–2008 Palomar (USA), Punaauia (Polynesia) 4. Karl Reinmuth 395 P 1914–1957 Heidelberg, Germany 5. Max F. Wolf 248 P 1891–1932 Heidelberg, Germany 6. Lutz D. Schmadel 241 P 1960–1993 Tautenburg, Germany, La Silla (Chile), Palomar (USA) 7. August Kopff 68 P 1904–1909 Heidelberg, Germany 8. Erwin Schwab 57 A 2006–2010 Taunus, Germany, Mayhill (USA), Moorook (Australia) 9. Rolf Apitzsch 55 A 2004–2010 Wildberg, Germany 10. Rainer Kling 52 A 2006–2010 Taunus, Germany 11. Felix Hormuth 45 P 2003–2009 Calar Alto (Spain), Heppenheim and Heidelberg, Germany 12. Hans Scholl 42 P 2003–2005 La Silla (Chile) 13. Stefan Karge 36 A 2007–2010 Taunus, Germany, Mayhill (USA) 14. Hans-Emil Schuster 25 P 1976–1982 La Silla (Chile) 15. Robert Luther 24 P 1852–1890 Düsseldorf-Bilk, Germany 16. Jens Kandler 23 A 1997–2005 Drebach, Germany 17. Arnold Schwassmann 22 P 1898–1932 Heidelberg and Bergedorf, Germany 18. Gerhard Lehmann 21 A 1998–2004 Drebach, Germany 18. Franz Kaiser 21 P 1911–1914 Heidelberg, Germany 20. Paul Götz 20 P 1903–1905 Heidelberg, Germany 21. Hermann Goldschmidt 14 A 1852–1861 Paris (France) 22. Josef Helffrich 13 P 1909–1911 Heidelberg, Germany 22. André Knöfel 13 A 1998–2007 Drebach, Germany 22. Maik Meyer 13 A 2002 Palomar (USA) 25. Ute Zimmer 11 A 2007–2009 Taunus, Germany 26. Walter Baade 10 P 1920–1949 Bergedorf, Germany, Palomar and Mt Wilson (USA) Source: VdS-Journal Nr. 47, p. 82, April 2013a Discoveries: co-discoveries are not considered (for the official and more recent count, see List of minor planet discoverers)b Status: A = amateur astronomer; P = professional astronomer

List

This is a list of Wolf Bickel's officially discovered (numbered) minor planets, as credited by the Minor Planet Center.

12564 Ikeller 22 September 1998 18 July 1998 27 December 1995 27 October 1997 12 February 2000 21 March 1998 22 September 1998 17 October 1999 25 January 2000 10 September 1997 20 April 1999 27 June 2000 1 February 1998 4 October 2000 26 August 2000 12 October 1999 17 July 1999 31 August 1998 1 June 2000 12 February 1999 25 August 2001 28 August 2001 24 March 1998 21 March 1998 30 August 1998 1 August 2000 3 August 2000 24 August 2000 30 January 2001 29 July 2001 13 August 2001 25 August 2001 17 October 2001 9 December 2001 14 December 2001 5 September 1996 7 March 1997 4 April 2002 5 September 1999 1 November 1999 15 November 1999 22 October 2000 8 May 2002 29 July 2003 24 September 1997 17 August 1998 2 September 1999 27 July 2001 8 April 2002 20 September 1998 6 May 2000 25 July 2001 29 July 2001 13 August 2001 9 December 2002 8 April 1999 22 August 2001 28 August 2001 12 October 2001 16 May 1999 8 September 1999 31 July 2000 12 October 2001 31 August 1997 10 September 1997 30 October 1997 21 March 1998 24 March 1998 30 August 1998 13 October 1999 6 April 2000 1 June 2000 1 June 2000 1 August 2000 4 August 2000 23 September 2000 23 September 2000 22 October 2000 20 May 2001 25 July 2001 25 July 2001 25 August 2001 13 August 2002 14 August 2002 15 August 2002 16 August 2002 20 August 2003 24 August 2003 24 October 2003 25 April 2004 17 May 2004 5 February 2005 12 March 1999 14 August 2001 10 November 2001 27 September 1997 24 August 2000 22 September 2000 22 October 2000 21 December 2000 15 January 2001 27 July 2001 9 December 2001 21 March 2003 23 April 2003 5 August 2003 1 September 2003 28 July 2004 5 September 2004 10 October 2004 4 September 2005 10 September 1997 30 October 1997 27 October 1997 16 May 1999 25 January 2000 10 December 2001 15 February 2002 11 July 2002 24 February 2003 25 September 2003 28 October 2003 7 September 2004 17 December 2003 19 October 1999 16 January 2001 13 August 2001 14 August 2001 22 August 2001 11 October 2001 9 November 2001 7 April 2002 13 August 2002 15 August 2002 22 April 2003 27 August 2005 21 April 2001 4 January 2002 6 September 2005 15 January 2001 11 February 2003 24 June 2004 3 October 2005 16 January 2001 8 January 2003 22 August 2004 15 September 2004 12 September 1999 8 April 2002 5 May 2003 7 January 2003 22 August 2004 24 February 2003 20 May 1999 24 September 2000 9 May 1999 31 October 1999 20 May 2001 10 October 2002 24 March 2004 14 January 2005 27 April 2006 6 April 2000 28 August 2001 14 December 2001 11 July 2002 16 July 2002 9 October 2002 5 September 2007 16 October 1999 14 December 2001 2 April 2005 14 October 2006 27 March 2004 7 February 2005 12 July 2005 17 August 1999 7 June 2000 25 September 2003 27 March 2004 14 April 2004 16 December 2007 28 May 1997 14 February 2002 12 July 2005 22 September 1998 17 July 1999 22 August 2001 13 August 2002 8 January 2003 9 December 2004 7 September 2005 30 January 2006 28 September 2006 10 February 2008 15 May 2004 14 June 2004 8 April 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