(7231) Porco Main-belt Asteroid

Discovered on 15 October 1985 by E. Bowell at Anderson Mesa.

Named in honor of Carolyn C. Porco (b. 1954), planetary scientist at the University of Arizona. A pioneer in the study of planetary ring systems, Porco has made important contributions to our knowledge of spokes in Saturn's rings, eccentric ring features in the systems of Saturn and Uranus and the azimuthal structure in the rings of Neptune. Through her contributions to the Voyager project and as the team leader for the Cassini imaging system, Porco has been a leader in spacecraft exploration of the outer solar system. In 1997, she originated the idea of sending a capsule containing ashes of E. M. Shoemaker to the moon aboard the Lunar Prospector spacecraft. Name endorsed by the Shoemaker family.Naming citation (19980808/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL

Where Porco is today

Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Porco is 3.29 au from the Sun and 3.44 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.

Facts

Number	7231
Provisional designation	1985 TQ1
Orbit class	Main-belt Asteroid
Diameter	18.3 km (#2,445 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size)
Albedo	0.0740
Absolute magnitude (H)	12.54
Orbital period	5.65 years
Semi-major axis	3.17 au
Perihelion – aphelion	2.94 – 3.40 au
Eccentricity	0.0715
Inclination	9.43°
Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID)	1.94 au

Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.

Also named after someone called Carolyn

All asteroids named after someone called Carolyn

Also discovered on 15 October 1985

More named asteroids discovered by E. Bowell

All 554

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