| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | J. Comas Solà |
| Discovery site | Fabra Obs. |
| Discovery date | 30 November 1929 |
| Designations | |
| (1708) Pólit | |
Named after | Isidre Pòlit (Catalan astronomer)[2] |
| 1929 XA · 1934 XF 1939 YB | |
| main-belt · (outer)[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 87.51 yr (31,964 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.8064AU |
| Perihelion | 2.0159 AU |
| 2.9111 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.3075 |
| 4.97yr (1,814 days) | |
| 213.43° | |
| 0° 11m 54.24s / day | |
| Inclination | 6.0445° |
| 192.21° | |
| 248.96° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 27.46±1.30 km[4] 28.06±6.19 km[5] 28.706±0.057 km[6] 29.30±1.7 km[3][7] 30.282±0.071 km[8] 33.44±1.53 km[9] |
| 7.5080±0.0002 h[10][11] 7.5085±0.001 h[12] 7.520±0.002 h[13] | |
| 0.035±0.004[9] 0.0350±0.0055[8] 0.0392±0.005[7] 0.04±0.01[4][5] 0.042±0.008[6] | |
| C[3] | |
| 11.70[5] · 11.8[1][3][7][8][9] · 11.86[4] | |
1708 Pólit, provisional designation1929 XA, is a very darkasteroid from the outer region of theasteroid belt, approximately 29 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 30 November 1929, by Spanish astronomer of Catalan originJosep Comas i Solà at theFabra Observatory in Barcelona, and was later named after Catalan astronomerIsidre Pòlit i Boixareu.[14]
Pólit orbits the Sun in theouter main-belt at a distance of 2.0–3.8 AU once every 4 years and 12 months (1,814 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.31 and aninclination of 6° with respect to theecliptic.[1]A firstprecovery was taken atLowell Observatory in Flagstaff, extending the body'sobservation arc by 3 days prior to its official discovery observation.[14]
The asteroid has been characterized as aC-type asteroid.[3]
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical SatelliteIRAS, the JapaneseAkari satellite, and NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequentNEOWISE mission,Pólit measures between 27.46 and 33.44 kilometers in diameter and its surface has a lowalbedo between 0.035 and 0.042.[4][5][6][7][8][9]
TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link agrees with the results obtained by IRAS, that is, an albedo of 0.0392 and a diameter of 29.30 kilometers based on anabsolute magnitude of 11.8.[3]
Between 2005 and 2014, a large number of rotationallightcurves ofPólit were obtained from photometric observations by American astronomer Maurice Clark at the Preston Gott and McDonald Observatories. Lightcurve analysis gave arotation period of 7.5080 to 7.5085 hours with a brightness variation between 0.40 and 0.50magnitude (U=3/3-).[10][11][12] Clark also derived a spin axis of (2.1°, 47.5°) inecliptic coordinates (λ, β) (Q=2).[11]
In addition, astronomer Raymond Poncy measured a period of 7.520 hours with an amplitude of 0.30 magnitude (U=3).[13]
Thisminor planet was named in memory of the Fabra Observatory's second director of the astronomical section,Isidre Pòlit i Boixareu (1880–1958), who was an assiduous observer of minor planets and comets.[2] The official naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 1 June 1980 (M.P.C. 5357).[15]
