It was later named after American writer Thomas William Hamilton, an author of astronomy books and participant in the Apollo program.
[2] Tomhamilton orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 2.7–3.4 AU once every 5 years and 4 months (1,953 days).
This minor planet was named after Thomas William Hamilton, an American (born San Francisco, January 11, 1939)[citation needed] who had worked on the Apollo program, determining fuel requirements and radar accuracy requirements for lunar orbit rendezvous.
He later worked as an astronomy educator and planetarium director, and as an author on astronomical topics, as well as of time travel and science fiction novels.
Hamilton and Helin were acquainted, as he had interviewed her at an astronomical conference for a cable television show he was producing at the time.