32P/Comas Sola (0032P)
TRY AGAIN 2032
Type: Periodic
Perihelion date: 24 April 2024
Perihelion distance (q): 2.0
Aphelion distance (Q) : 7.1
Period (years): 9.7
Eccentricity (e): 0.56
Inclination (i): 9.9
JPL orbit diagram
COBS lightcurve
Atlas
Josep Comas Solá (Fabra Observatory, Barcelona) discovered this comet on 5
November 1926 in Cetus while conducting routine photographic work with a 6-inch
telescope as part of his work on asteroids. Comas Solá estimated the magnitude as
12 and noted a slow northwestward movement. Eventually astronomers realized this
comet was found several months prior to its perihelion passage, which occurred on 22
March 1927. The comet held very close to 12th-magnitude through the remainder of
November and throughout December, before a slow fading set in. The reason for this
early sustained brightness was a result of the comet's closest approach to Earth on
27 November (1.15 AU) and its approaching perihelion. The comet faded to 12.5 by
late January, and reached 13 during March.
The comet's past orbital evolution became a point of interest as several astronomers
suggested early on that the comet might be a return of the then lost periodic comet
Spitaler. This question remained unanswered until the 1935 return. After additional
positions had been obtained, P. Ramensky investigated the orbital motion back to
1911 and applied the gravitational effects of Jupiter and Saturn. He noted the comet
passed very close to Jupiter (ultimately determined by other astronomers as 0.178
AU) during May of 1912 and that, prior to this approach, the comet had a perihelion
distance of 2.15 AU and an orbital period of 9.43 years. The identity with comet
Spitaler was disproven.
The comet has been recovered at every return since its discovery. Because of the
8.5-year period the returns through 1969 always fell in the spring or autumn months
which guaranteed its approaching Earth at distances of between 1.1 and 1.4 AU. This
continually brought maximum magnitudes of 12 or 13. A moderately close approach to
Jupiter in 1971 (0.73 AU) initially nudged the orbital period up to 8.94 years. This
brought another very favourable return in 1978 (maximum magnitude of 13). The
orbital period dropped back to 8.8 years for the 1987 and 1996 returns. The comet
only brightened to about magnitude 14 during the latter year.
Close approaches to planets:
•
0.31 AU from Jupiter on 5 April 2007: increased perihelion distance from 1.83 AU
to 2.00 AU and orbital period from 8.77 to 9.58 years
•
1.43 AU from Jupiter on 26 September 2021: will increase perihelion distance from
2.00 AU to 2.02 AU and orbital period from 9.58 to 9.71 years
Observations (VEMag = visual equivalent magnitude)
Date
10x10 mag
Error
VEmag
Coma '
22-Nov-14
15.38
0.03
14.1
0.3
30-Nov-14
15.28
0.02
13.8
0.3
09-Dec-14
15.29
0.03
13.6
0.3
16-Dec-14
15.08
0.05
13.9
0.3
25-Dec-14
15.41
0.01
13.8
0.4
01-Jan-15
15.42
0.02
13.7
0.3
15-Jan-15
15.33
0.02
13.8
0.5
23-Jan-15
15.36
0.02
13.7
0.4
31-Jan-15
15.28
0.02
13.5
0.6
10-Feb-15
15.32
0.04
13.4
0.4
17-Feb-15
15.31
0.03
13.6
0.6
25-Feb-15
15.21
0.03
13.4
0.3
11-Mar-15
15.33
0.05
13.3
0.5
18-Mar-15
15.52
0.03
13.0
0.5
19-Apr-15
16.45
0.07
14.3
0.3
10-May-15
16.98
0.08
14.8
0.2
22-May-15
16.75
0.11
14.9
0.2
12-Sep-23
16.8
0.4
21-Sep-23
17.8
0.4
07-Oct-23
17.2
0.4
14-Oct-23
17.0
0.4
23-Oct-23
16.7
0.4
12-Nov-23
14.9
0.8
10-Dec-23
14.7
0.9
18-Dec-23
14.7
1.1
30-Dec-23
15.1
0.9
10-Jan-24
15.1
0.9
07-Feb-24
16.3
0.4
29-Dec-24
19.4
0.4
1-Dec-24
18.9
0.4
10-Jan-25
19.8
0.4