(246861) Johnelwell Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 17 May 2010 by WISE at WISE.
John Elwell (b. 1958) is an expert in the design, construction and calibration of infrared instrumentation for space-based missions to study astrophysics and the Earth's atmosphere. He was the project manager for the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer's science payload.Naming citation (MPC batch dated 2014-01-16), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Johnelwell is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Johnelwell is 2.53 au from the Sun and 1.82 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 246861 |
| Provisional designation | 2010 KC18 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 2.15 km (#16,852 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.167 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 16.14 |
| Orbital period | 4.40 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.69 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.39 – 2.99 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.112 |
| Inclination | 10.3° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.42 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
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