[2] 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).
[1] As of 2017, Well's 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.
[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 15 June 1973 (M.P.C.