Wolf Bickel


Wolf Bickel 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.

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 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 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.

List

This is a list of Wolf Bickel's officially discovered minor planets, as credited by the Minor Planet Center.
12564 Ikeller22 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

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

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

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

7 November 2004
31 October 1999
31 August 2000
28 August 2001
10 January 2002
14 February 2002
5 April 2002
24 September 2003
9 December 2004
6 April 2006
12 April 2007
4 November 1999
15 February 2002
3 September 2003
9 September 2004
15 December 2004
10 May 2005
9 September 2008
23 October 2008
14 February 2001
7 September 2004
13 June 2005
13 September 1999
27 June 2000
9 November 2001

8 April 2002
15 May 2004
6 September 2005
21 November 1998
9 November 2001
10 February 2003
20 May 2004
14 December 2004
12 July 2005
7 October 2005
8 August 2004
11 October 2005
12 October 2005
29 July 2001
9 November 2001
15 February 2002
2 September 2003
9 December 2004
9 September 2008
22 August 2003
22 August 2004
28 August 2005
24 March 2006
9 September 2008
14 October 2009

11 April 2004
28 July 2003
20 September 2003
1 June 2005
5 October 2007
27 December 2008
29 March 2009
7 April 2003
7 September 2004
29 August 2005
12 October 2005
14 October 2007
5 September 2004
16 October 2006
25 September 1997
30 August 2000
5 April 2002
10 December 2002
3 September 2003
21 September 2003
3 September 2005
16 October 2006
26 November 2006
15 February 2007
6 October 2007

22 September 2009
24 September 2009
14 October 2009
15 October 2009
29 September 2000
17 September 2004
11 August 2007
29 August 2009
31 October 1997
22 May 2001
15 February 2002
14 August 2002
24 October 2003
28 August 2005
21 February 2007
12 March 2007
4 August 2007
6 October 2007
9 September 2008
25 September 2008
26 September 2008
31 August 2009
22 September 2009
14 October 2009
13 October 2009

6 October 2005
27 October 2005
14 October 2006
16 October 2006
16 October 2006
12 August 2007
14 August 2007
16 December 2007
10 January 2008
2 May 2008
10 May 2008
26 January 2009
20 March 2009
29 March 2009
21 April 2009
13 June 2009
18 August 2009
29 August 2009
21 September 2009
14 October 2009
17 April 2010
5 October 2005
18 July 2006
14 October 2006
6 October 2007

16 October 2006
15 December 2006
8 April 2007
12 April 2007
15 April 2007
12 August 2007
18 December 2007
10 February 2008
26 April 2008
17 October 2003
9 December 2004
11 April 2007
9 June 2008
26 July 2009
20 September 2003
20 June 2004
18 October 2006
18 August 2009
19 August 2009
31 August 2009
20 November 2009
5 September 2010
23 January 2007
15 November 1999
28 October 2005

13 December 2001
26 September 2003
21 February 2007
5 September 2007
25 September 2008
24 September 2008
31 December 2008
27 December 2008
27 December 2008
8 February 2008
23 October 2008
20 March 2009
29 March 2009
21 January 2009
25 August 2003
5 September 2003
5 February 2005
10 February 2008
31 December 2008
19 March 2006
18 December 2007
11 September 2008
27 December 2008
17 March 2009
23 December 2006

15 December 2009
11 December 2004
14 August 2002
7 April 2007
16 August 2009
11 October 2005
19 March 2009
15 December 2009
6 September 2004
27 August 2005
28 January 2006
1 April 2005
29 November 2008
29 August 2009
13 October 2009
9 March 2010
24 March 1998
19 February 2004
6 September 2004
12 March 2007
14 April 2007
1 July 2008
20 January 2009
19 October 1999
14 April 2007

5 September 2004
14 October 2007
4 August 2007
21 September 2007
18 September 2009
13 October 2009
14 January 2007
14 October 2007
29 June 2008
20 March 2009
2 September 2003
24 December 2006
31 October 1997
24 March 2007
8 September 2008
22 October 2008
5 April 2010
31 August 2008
23 August 2009
15 December 2009
21 September 2007
22 September 2009
10 March 2010
3 September 2003
11 September 2006

31 July 2008
5 October 2005
6 October 2007
14 October 2007
25 September 2008
22 October 2008
29 December 2008
20 January 2009
24 February 2004
24 March 2006
18 September 2009
8 August 2004
6 April 2003
15 December 2007
19 April 2010
3 August 2000
23 January 2007
18 May 2007
11 September 2006
8 September 2007
27 August 2009
10 February 2003
27 September 2013
19 April 2010
31 July 2005