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24P/Schaumasse

Periodic comet

Field	Value
name	24P/Schaumasse
image	24P 20251229.jpg
caption	Comet Schaumasse imaged on 29 December 2025
discoverer	Alexandre Schaumasse
discovery_site	Nice, France
discovery_date	1 December 1911
mpc_name	P/1911 X1, P/1919 U1
designations
orbit_ref
observation_arc	66.52 years
obs	1,549
epoch	21 November 2025 (JD 2461000.5)
perihelion	1.184 AU
aphelion	6.93 AU
semimajor	4.06 AU
eccentricity	0.708
period	8.18 years
inclination	11.50°
asc_node	78.27°
arg_peri	58.48°
mean	354.2°
tjup	2.504
Earth_moid	0.267 AU
Jupiter_moid	0.457 AU
physical_ref
mean_radius	0.91 km
M1	14.6
M2	15.6
magnitude	10.5
(2025-12-19)
last_p	16 November 2017
next_p	8 January 2026

(2025-12-19)

Comet Schaumasse is a Jupiter-family comet with an 8.2-year orbit around the Sun. It is the first of three comets discovered by French astronomer, Alexandre Schaumasse.

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

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

The comet was missed in 1968 and 1976.

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 of the dwarf planet Ceres on 22 March 2010.

On 25 October 2025, it passed about 1 degree from Jupiter. It came to perihelion on 8 January 2026 with a solar elongation of 94 degrees and brighten to about magnitude 9.

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](3-sigma))	Reference
2026-Jan-04	0.5933 AU	1.185 AU	18.9	35.8	± 100 km	[Horizons](https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons_batch.cgi?batch=1&COMMAND=%27DES%3D24P%3BCAP%27&START_TIME=%272026-01-04%2007:23:24%27&STOP_TIME=%272026-01-04%2007:28%27&STEP_SIZE=%271%20m%27&QUANTITIES=%2719,20,22,39%27)

Around 25 October 2100 it should pass about 0.17 AU from Mars.

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 in diameter. Newer calculations in 2006, based on its nuclear magnitude (M2) and water production rate, revised this value to 1.82 km.

Notes

References

|access-date=2010-02-24}}

|author-link=Gary W. Kronk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110923175448/http://cometography.com/pcomets/024p.html |archive-date=2011-09-23 |url-status=live |access-date=2007-01-31}}

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710232850/http://jcometobs.web.fc2.com/pcmtn/0024p.htm |archive-date=2011-07-10 |url-status=dead |access-date=2023-07-29}}

|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121212061905/http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=24P;cad=1%23cad |archive-date=2012-12-12 |url-status=live |access-date=2010-02-25}}

|access-date=2025-12-12 }}

References

(1 September 1984). "Periodic Comet Schaumasse (1976 XV = 1984m)". International Astronomical Union Circular.
(23 November 2017). "COMET 24P/SCHAUMASSE (NOV.19,2017)".
"Weekly Information about Bright Comets (2026 Jan. 24: North)".
{{mpc. 24p

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