(216591) Coetzee Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 21 July 2002 by G. Masi at Campo Catino.
John Maxwell Coetzee (b. 1940) is a South African author and academic, now living in Australia. In 2003 he won the Nobel Prize in Literature, with the following motivation: “who in innumerable guises portrays the surprising involvement of the outsider”. Name suggested by Francesca Nocentini, who studied Coetzee's work.Naming citation (MPC batch dated 2013-04-25), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Coetzee is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Coetzee is 2.65 au from the Sun and 3.25 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 216591 |
| Provisional designation | 2002 OQ7 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 16.77 |
| Orbital period | 3.76 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.42 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.97 – 2.86 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.185 |
| Inclination | 3.74° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.969 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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