(1991) Darwin Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 6 May 1967 by Cesco, C. U., Klemola, A. R. at El Leoncito.
Named in memory of Charles Darwin (1809-1882), the English naturalist who first established the theory of organic evolution; much of his research was done in Argentina, and he crossed the Andes at a pass located some 100 km south of El Leoncito. This planet also honors his second son, George Darwin (1845-1912), the astronomer noted for his pioneering application of detailed dynamical analyses to problems of cosmogony and geology.Naming citation (MPC 5282), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
👶 Darwin as a baby name🐶 Darwin as a dog name🐱 Darwin as a cat name
Where Darwin is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Darwin is 2.71 au from the Sun and 3.16 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 1991 |
| Provisional designation | 1967 JL |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 4.99 km (#10,637 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.258 |
| Rotation period | 5.92 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.54 |
| Orbital period | 3.37 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.25 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.78 – 2.71 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.207 |
| Inclination | 5.91° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.770 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Charles
- (4603) Bertaud
- (4939) Scovil
- (5202) Charleseliot
- (7011) Worley
- (7781) Townsend
- (9714) Piazzismyth
- (10320) Reiland
- (11356) Chuckjones
- (11778) Kingsford Smith
- (11849) Fauvel
- (12259) Szukalski
- (13801) Kohlhase
All asteroids named after someone called Charles