(16561) Rawls Main-belt Asteroid

Discovered on 3 November 1991 by Spacewatch at Kitt Peak.

John Borden Rawls (1921-2002) was an influential philosopher who earned a Ph.D. from Princeton University and spent 40 years at Harvard University. His 1971 book, A Theory of Justice, reinvigorated the study of political philosophy. The name was suggested by P. Jedicke and R. Jedicke.Naming citation (20050523/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL

👶 Rawls as a baby name

Where Rawls is today

Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Rawls is 2.86 au from the Sun and 1.87 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.

Facts

Number	16561
Provisional designation	1991 VP7
Orbit class	Main-belt Asteroid
Diameter	6.91 km (#7,757 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size)
Albedo	0.123
Rotation period	1.13 hours
Absolute magnitude (H)	13.9
Orbital period	5.02 years
Semi-major axis	2.93 au
Perihelion – aphelion	2.79 – 3.08 au
Eccentricity	0.0493
Inclination	14.2°
Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID)	1.82 au

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

Also named after someone called John

All asteroids named after someone called John

Also discovered on 3 November 1991

(20022) Dontown

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