24P/Schaumasse
 | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Alexandre Schaumasse |
| Discovery date | December 1, 1911 |
| Alternative designations | 1911 X1, 1919 U1 |
| Orbital characteristics A | |
| Epoch | May 11, 2001 |
| Aphelion | 6.95 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.20 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 4.08 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.705 |
| Orbital period | 8.247 yr |
| Inclination | 11.75° |
| Last perihelion |
August 9, 2009[1] (unobserved)[2] |
| Next perihelion | November 16, 2017[1] |
Comet Schaumasse is a periodic comet discovered by Alexandre Schaumasse (Nice, France) on December 1, 1911 as 12th magnitude.[3]
By the end of 1912 it was recognised as a short period comet estimated to return in 7.1 years, later recalculated as 8 years.[3] The 1919 return was recovered by Gaston Fayet (Paris, France) as magnitude 10.5.[3]
The 1927 approach was magnitude 12, but the comet was missed on the 1935 approach.[3] In 1937 it passed close to Jupiter which increased its orbital period slightly.[3]
The comet was missed in 1968 and 1976.[3] It was speculated that the increase in brightness in 1952 indicated a problem that led to it vanishing. In 1984, Elizabeth Roemer (Steward Observatory, Arizona, USA) found an image on photographs from 1976.[3] The approach later that year, observed by James B. Gibson (Palomar Observatory, California, USA) and orbital calculations by Brian G. Marsden, confirmed the 1976 image was Comet Schaumasse.[3] The comet has not been observed since 2001.[2] The comet was not observed during the 2009 unfavorable apparition since the perihelion passage occurred when the comet was on the far side of the Sun.
It will pass about 0.6 AU (90,000,000 km; 56,000,000 mi) from the Earth in January 2026.[3]
It passed within 0.02 AU of the dwarf planet Ceres on March 22, 2010.[4] It will pass within about 0.07 AU of Mars in mid July 2200.[4]
The comet nucleus is estimated to be 2.6 kilometers in diameter.[2]
References
- 1 2 Seiichi Yoshida (2009-04-07). "24P/Schaumasse". Seiichi Yoshida's Comet Catalog. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
- 1 2 3 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 24P/Schaumasse". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. 2001-07-23. Retrieved 2010-02-25.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Kronk, Gary W. (2001–2005). "24P/Schaumasse". Retrieved 2007-01-31. (Cometography Home Page)
- 1 2 "JPL Close-Approach Data: 24P/Schaumasse". 2001-07-23. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
External links
- Orbital simulation from JPL (Java) / Horizons Ephemeris
- 24P/Schaumasse – Seiichi Yoshida @ aerith.net
- 24P at Kronk's Cometography
- 24P at Kazuo Kinoshita's Comets
| Periodic comets (by number) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous 23P/Brorsen–Metcalf |
24P/Schaumasse | Next 25D/Neujmin |