| Minorplanet: | yes |
| 1721 Wells | |
| Background: |
|
| Discovered: | 3 October 1953 |
| Discoverer: | Indiana University |
| Mpc Name: | (1721) Wells |
| Alt Names: | 1944 DA 1958 QEA905 CG |
| Named After: | Herman Wells |
| Epoch: | 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) |
| Uncertainty: | 0 |
| Observation Arc: | 112.13 yr (40,957 days) |
| Perihelion: | 3.0049 AU |
| Semimajor: | 3.1509 AU |
| Eccentricity: | 0.0463 |
| Period: | 5.59 yr (2,043 days) |
| Inclination: | 16.107° |
| Asc Node: | 317.29° |
| Arg Peri: | 137.52° |
| Dimensions: | km |
| Abs Magnitude: | 10.9 |
1721 Wells, provisional designation, is a dark asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 44 kilometers in diameter.
It was discovered on 3 October 1953, by IU's Indiana Asteroid Program at Goethe Link Observatory near Brooklyn, Indiana, United States. It was named after UI's president and chancellor Herman B Wells.
Wells orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 3.0–3.3 AU once every 5 years and 7 months (2,043 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.05 and an inclination of 16° with respect to the ecliptic.
First identified as at Heidelberg in 1905, Wells first used observation was taken at Turku in 1944, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 9 years prior to its official discovery observation.
According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Wells measures 43.576 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.045. It has an absolute magnitude of 10.9. As of 2017, Wells spectral type, rotation period and shape remain unknown.
This minor planet was named in honor of Herman B Wells (1902–2000), chancellor and president and of Indiana University, who has transformed Indiana University from a provincial college into a world-renowned institution of higher learning. During this time, Wells also fostered higher education nationally and internationally. The official was published by the Minor Planet Center on 15 June 1973 .