| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | J. Comas Solà |
| Discovery site | Fabra Obs. |
| Discovery date | 28 November 1929 |
| Designations | |
| (1655) Comas Solá | |
Named after | Josep Comas i Solà (discoverer himself)[2] |
| 1929 WG · 1929 WC1 1958 BG · A901 VG | |
| main-belt · (middle)[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 114.97 yr (41,994 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.4357 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.1248 AU |
| 2.7803 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2358 |
| 4.64 yr (1,693 days) | |
| 323.81° | |
| 0° 12m 45.36s / day | |
| Inclination | 9.6002° |
| 111.14° | |
| 323.52° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 30.57±2.1 km (IRAS:3)[4] 32.80±0.69 km[5] 35.6±3.6 km[6] 35.943±0.183[7] 39.942±0.390 km[8] 40±4 km[9] |
| 12 h (dated)[10] 20.4±0.1 h[11] 20.456±0.004 h[12] | |
| 0.04±0.01[9] 0.0425±0.0069[8] 0.045±0.010[7] 0.05±0.01[6] 0.065±0.003[5] 0.0726±0.011 (IRAS:3)[4] | |
| XFU (Tholen)[1] B (SMASS)[1] · B[3] B–V = 0.642[1] U–B = 0.262[1] | |
| 11.04[1][3][4][5][6][8][9] | |
1655 Comas Solà, provisional designation 1929 WG, is a rare-type asteroid from the central region of the asteroid belt, approximately 36 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 28 November 1929, by Spanish astronomer of Catalan origin, Josep Comas i Solà at the Fabra Observatory in Barcelona, Spain.[13] It was later named after the discoverer.[2]
It orbits the Sun in the central main-belt at a distance of 2.1–3.4 AU once every 4 years and 8 months (1,693 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.24 and an inclination of 10° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] It was first observed as A901 VG at Heidelberg Observatory in 1901, extending the body's observation arc by 28 years prior to its official discovery observation at Barcelona.[13]
Comas Solà shows as rare XFU-type and B-type spectrum in the Tholen and SMASS classification scheme, respectively.[1]
A rotational lightcurve obtained by American amateur astronomer Robert Stephens gave a well-defined rotation period of 20.456 hours with a brightness variation of 0.20 magnitude (U=3).[3][12]
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS, the Japanese Akari satellite, and NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Comas Solà measures between 30.57 and 40 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.04 and 0.073.[4][5][8][9] More recently published revised WISE/NEOWISE-data gave a refined diameter of 35.6 and 35.94 kilometers, respectively.[6][7] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link agrees with IRAS, and adopts an albedo of 0.0726 with a diameter of 30.57 kilometers and an absolute magnitude of 11.04.[3]
This minor planet was named in memory of its discoverer Josep Comas i Solà (1868–1937), first director of the discovering Fabra Observatory, Barcelona, capital of the Catalonia region in northeastern Spain. He was a prolific observer of minor planets and comets in the 1920s,[2] including the periodic comet 32P/Comas Solà which is named after him.
1655 Comas Solà is one of the rare cases where a minor planet bears the name of its discoverer. Solà is also honored by the asteroid 1102 Pepita, named after his nickname, and by the 127-kilometer wide Martian crater Comas Sola.[2] The official naming citation for 1655 Comas Solà was published by the Minor Planet Center on 1 June 1980 (M.P.C. 5357).[2][14]
