24P/Schaumasse

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24P/Schaumasse
24P 20251229.jpg
Comet Schaumasse imaged on 29 December 2025
Discovery
Discovered by Alexandre Schaumasse
Discovery site Nice, France
Discovery date1 December 1911
Designations
P/1911 X1, P/1919 U1
  • 1911 VII, 1919 IV
  • 1927 VIII, 1943 V, 1952 III
  • 1960 III, 1976 XV
  • 1984 XXII, 1993 III
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 21 November 2025 (JD 2461000.5)
Observation arc 66.52 years
Number of
observations		1,549
Aphelion 6.93 AU
Perihelion 1.184 AU
Semi-major axis 4.06 AU
Eccentricity 0.708
Orbital period 8.18 years
Inclination 11.50°
78.27°
Argument of
periapsis 		58.48°
Mean anomaly 354.2°
Last perihelion16 November 2017
Next perihelion8 January 2026 [2] [3] [1]
TJupiter 2.504
Earth MOID 0.267 AU
Jupiter MOID 0.457 AU
Physical characteristics [4]
Mean radius
0.91 km (0.57 mi) [5]
Comet total
magnitude (M1)		14.6
Comet nuclear
magnitude (M2)		15.6
10.5 [6]
(2025-12-19)

Comet Schaumasse is a Jupiter-family comet with an 8.2-year orbit around the Sun. On 25 October 2025, it passed about 1 degree from Jupiter. It next comes to perihelion on 8 January 2026 with a solar elongation of 94 degrees and should brighten to about magnitude 9. [2] It is the first of three comets discovered by French astronomer, Alexandre Schaumasse. [a]

Contents

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. [7] The 1919 return was recovered by Gaston Fayet (Paris, France) as magnitude 10.5. [7]

The 1927 approach was magnitude 12, but the comet was missed on the 1935 approach. [7] In 1937 it passed close to Jupiter which increased its orbital period slightly. [7] During the 1951-1952 apparition, the comet was brighter than expected, reaching a magnitude of about 6 in February. [7]

The comet was missed in 1968 and 1976. [7] It was speculated that the increase in brightness in 1952 indicated a problem that led to it vanishing. The comet during the 1984 apparition was recovered by James B. Gibson (Palomar Observatory, California, USA). [8] Also in 1984 was reported that Elizabeth Roemer (Steward Observatory, Arizona, USA) had found a comet on a photograph from 27 December 1976. [7] Orbital calculations by Brian G. Marsden, confirmed the 1976 image featured Comet Schaumasse. [7] [8]

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 passed within 0.025  AU (4 million  km ) of the dwarf planet Ceres on 22 March 2010. [4] During the 2017 apparition the comet reached a magnitude of 10. [9]

24P/Schaumasse closest Earth approach on 2026-Jan-04 [7]
Date & time of
closest approach		Earth distance
(AU)		Sun distance
(AU)		Velocity
wrt Earth
(km/s)		Velocity
wrt Sun
(km/s)		Uncertainty
region
(3-sigma)		Reference
2026-Jan-040.5933  AU (88.76 million  km ; 55.15 million  mi ; 230.9  LD )1.185 AU (177.3 million km; 110.2 million mi; 461 LD)18.935.8± 100 km Horizons

Around 25 October 2100 it should pass about 0.17 AU (25 million km) from Mars. [10]

Physical characteristics

Initial light-curve analysis in 1994 by James V. Scotti revealed that the nucleus of 24P/Schaumasse is estimated to be about 2.6 km (1.6 mi) in diameter. [11] Newer calculations in 2006, based on its nuclear magnitude (M2) and water production rate, revised this value to 1.82 km (1.13 mi). [5]

Notes

  1. ↑ His other comet discoveries were C/1913 J1 (Schaumasse) and C/1917 H1 (Schaumasse)

References

  1. 1 2 MPC
  2. 1 2 Seiichi Yoshida (7 April 2009). "24P/Schaumasse". Seiichi Yoshida's Comet Catalog. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  3. ↑ Kinoshita, Kazuo (7 April 2018). "24P/Schaumasse past, present and future orbital elements". Comet Orbit. Archived from the original on 10 July 2011. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  4. 1 2 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 24P/Schaumasse" (last observation: 2018-06-19). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Archived from the original on 12 December 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2010.
  5. 1 2 G. Tancredi; J. A. Fernández; H. Rickman; J. Licandro (2006). "Nuclear magnitudes and the size distribution of Jupiter family comets". Icarus. 182 (2): 527–549. Bibcode:2006Icar..182..527T. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2006.01.007.
  6. ↑ "COBS Observation list: 24P". COBS – Comet OBServation database. Crni Vrh Observatory. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Kronk, Gary W. (2001–2005). "24P/Schaumasse". Archived from the original on 23 September 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2007.
  8. 1 2 Gibson, J.; Roemer, E.; Marsden, B. G. (1 September 1984). "Periodic Comet Schaumasse (1976 XV = 1984m)". International Astronomical Union Circular (3986): 2. ISSN   0081-0304.
  9. ↑ Champo, Pepe (23 November 2017). "COMET 24P/SCHAUMASSE (NOV.19,2017)". Sky & Telescope. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  10. ↑ "Horizons Batch for 24P/Schaumasse (90000355) on 2100-Oct-25". JPL Horizons . Retrieved 25 December 2025. (JPL#K264/12 Soln.date: 2025-Dec-19)
  11. ↑ J. V. Scotti (1994). "Comet Nuclear Magnitudes". Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society. 26: 1375. Bibcode:1994AAS...185.4306S.
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