Discovered by J. Comas Solà MPC designation 1655 Comas Solà Discovered 28 November 1929 Orbits Sun Discovery site Fabra Observatory | Discovery date 28 November 1929 Minor planet category main-belt · (middle) Absolute magnitude 11.04 Discoverer Josep Comas i Solà Asteroid group Asteroid belt | |
Named after Josep Comas i Solà
(discoverer himself) Alternative names 1929 WG · 1929 WC1
1958 BG · A901 VG Similar 1102 Pepita, 1188 Gothlandia, Sun | ||
1655 Comas Solà, provisional designation 1929 WG, is a rare-type asteroid from the middle 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.
Comas Solà shows as rare XFU-type and B-type spectrum in the Tholen and SMASS classification scheme, respectively. It orbits the Sun 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.
A rotational light-curve obtained by American amateur astronomer Robert D. Stephens gave a rotation period of 20.456 hours with a brightness variation of 0.20 magnitude (U=3). 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. More recently published revised WISE/NEOWISE-data gave a refined diameter of 35.6 and 35.94 kilomters, respectively. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link agrees with IRAS, and adopts an albedo of 0.0726 with a diameter of 30.57 kilometers, using an absolute magnitude of 11.04.
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. It 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. Naming citation was published on 1 June 1980 (M.P.C. 5357).