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OverviewAI-generated
489 Comacina is a C-type asteroid located in the asteroid belt, orbiting the Sun. It was discovered on September 2, 1902, by Luigi Carnera at the Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory. The object carries the provisional designations 1902 JM, A911 DA, and A902 RD. In the sequence of minor planets, it follows Q154811 and is followed by 490 Veritas.
Physically, 489 Comacina has a diameter of 139.39 kilometers and an albedo of 0.0427. Its rotation period is 9.02 hours, and its absolute magnitude is listed as 8.61 in one source and 8.60 in another. Orbital parameters include a semi-major axis of 3.151507717424368, an eccentricity of 0.04886770313816248, and an inclination of 12.99412566808357. The periapsis is 2.997500773851646, while the apoapsis is 3.305514660997091.
Synthesized by Vinony from 35 facts across 4 sources: Wikidata, NASA, Jpl Sbdb, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
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2026-07-04
On July 4th, 1997, using its own array of fireworks, a parachute, and a cocoon of airbags, the Mars Pathfinder spacecraft bounced like a giant beach ball at least 15 times before it came to rest on the surface of Mars at 10:07 AM Pacific Daylight Time. After its then novel airbag-assisted landing sequence was completed, Pathfinder transmitted this color mosaic to mission operators on Earth. In the scene from another world, the Mars Sojourner robot rover is visible in the foreground, crouched on top of the unfolded Pathfinder. About the size of a large house cat, the six-wheeled, solar-powered Sojourner became the first successful Martian rover. Surrounding Pathfinder are deflated airbags and the rock-strewn terrain of the Ares Vallis floodplain. In the distance Martian hills appear against a dusty brownish sky. The Pathfinder lander was subsequently renamed the Carl Sagan Memorial Station.
via NASA APOD
Small body data
489 Comacina (A902 RD)
- Orbit class
- Main-belt Asteroid
- Diameter
- 139.390 km
- Albedo
- 0.043
- Rotation period
- 9.020 h
- Absolute magnitude
- 8.600 H
- Earth MOID
- 2 AU
via NASA/JPL Small-Body Database
Key facts
- Discovered by
- Luigi Carnera
- Discovery site
- Heidelberg
- Discovery date
- 2 September 1902
- Pronunciation
- / k ɒ m ə ˈ s aɪ n ə /
- Named after
- Isola Comacina
- Alternative designations
- 1902 JM
- Adjectives
- Comacinian / k ɒ m ə ˈ s ɪ n i ə n /
- Observation arc
- 105.09 yr (38384 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.2927 AU (492.58 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 3.0089 AU (450.13 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 3.1508 AU (471.35 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 5.59 yr (2042.8 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 282.24 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 10 34.428 / day
- Inclination
- 13.000°
- Longitude of ascending node
- 166.898°
- Argument of perihelion
- 12.215°
- Mean radius
- 69.695 ± 1.5 km
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Followed by
- 490 Veritas
- Follows
- Q154811
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- 139.39
- Orbital period
- 2043.506339367101
Show 19 more facts
- discoverer or inventor
- Luigi Carnera
- site of astronomical discovery
- Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory
- provisional designation
- A902 RD
- time of discovery or invention
- 1902-09-02
- orbital inclination
- 12.99412566808357
- Commons category
- 489 Comacina
- albedo
- 0.0427
- rotation period
- 9.02
- asteroid spectral type
- C-type asteroid
- absolute magnitude
- 8.61
- orbital eccentricity
- 0.04886770313816248
- semi-major axis of an orbit
- 3.151507717424368
- periapsis
- 2.997500773851646
- apoapsis
- 3.305514660997091
- longitude of ascending node
- 166.6722322243589
- argument of periapsis
- 8.206255383169703
- mean anomaly
- 165.2122284353053
- time of periapsis
- 2460062.6882329206
- epoch
- November 21, 2025
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~1 min read
Encyclopedic overview
489 Comacina is a minor planet located in the asteroid belt. It is named after Isola Comacina, an island in Lake Como, Italy.
References
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “489 Comacina” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.