24P/Schaumasse

Comet Schaumasse is a periodic comet discovered by Alexandre Schaumasse (Nice, France) on 1 December 1911 as 12th magnitude.[5]

24P/Schaumasse
Discovery
Discovered byAlexandre Schaumasse
Discovery date1 December 1911
Alternative
designations		1911 X1, 1919 U1
Orbital characteristics A
Epoch11 May 2001
Aphelion6.95 AU
Perihelion1.20 AU[1]
Semi-major axis4.08 AU
Eccentricity0.705[1]
Orbital period8.247 yr
Inclination11.75°
Last perihelion16 November 2017
9 August 2009[2]
(unobserved)[3]
Next perihelion2026-Jan-08[4][2]

Observations

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.[5] The 1919 return was recovered by Gaston Fayet (Paris, France) as magnitude 10.5.[5]

The 1927 approach was magnitude 12, but the comet was missed on the 1935 approach.[5] In 1937 it passed close to Jupiter which increased its orbital period slightly.[5]

The comet was missed in 1968 and 1976.[5] 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.[5] 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.[5] The comet has not been observed since 2001.[3] 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.[5]

It passed within 0.02 AU of the dwarf planet Ceres on 22 March 2010.[6] It will pass within about 0.07 AU of Mars in mid July 2200.[6]

The comet nucleus is estimated to be 2.6 kilometers in diameter.[3]

References
  1. Ley, Willy (September 1968). "Mission to a Comet". For Your Information. Galaxy Science Fiction. pp. 101–110.
  2. Seiichi Yoshida (2009-04-07). "24P/Schaumasse". Seiichi Yoshida's Comet Catalog. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
  3. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 24P/Schaumasse". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. 2001-07-23. Retrieved 2010-02-25.
  4. MPC
  5. Kronk, Gary W. (2001–2005). "24P/Schaumasse". Retrieved 2007-01-31. (Cometography Home Page)
  6. "JPL Close-Approach Data: 24P/Schaumasse". 2001-07-23. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
Numbered comets
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23P/Brorsen–Metcalf		 24P/Schaumasse Next
25D/Neujmin
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