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C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy)

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For other comets discovered by Terry Lovejoy, see Comet Lovejoy.

C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy)
Comet Lovejoy as imaged 19 January 2015[1]
Discovery[2]
Discovered byTerry Lovejoy
0.2-m Schmidt
Discovery siteBirkdale Observatory (Q80)
Discovery date17 August 2014
Designations
CK14Q020[2]
Orbital characteristics[5][4]
Epoch30 March 2015 (JD 2457111.5)
Aphelion~1,160 AU
Perihelion1.291 AU
Semi-major axis~580 AU
Eccentricity0.99811
Orbital period~11,000 years (inbound)[3]
~8,000 years (outbound)[3]
Inclination80.301°
94.975°
Argument of
periapsis		12.395°
Mean anomaly0.004°
Last perihelion30 January 2015[4]
TJupiter0.246
Earth MOID0.320 AU
Jupiter MOID3.811 AU
Physical characteristics[6]
Dimensions9.8–14.2 km (6.1–8.8 mi)
Mean diameter
12 km (7.5 mi)
Comet total
magnitude (M1)		9.1
4.0
(2015 apparition)

C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) is a non-periodic comet discovered on 17 August 2014 by Terry Lovejoy using a 0.2-meter (8 in) Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope.[2] It was discovered as a 15th-magnitude object in the southern constellation of Puppis.[2] It is the fifth comet discovered by Terry Lovejoy.

History

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By December 2014, the comet had brightened to roughly magnitude 7.4,[7] making it a small telescope and binoculars target. By mid-December, the comet was visible to the naked eye for experienced observers with dark skies and keen eyesight.[8] On 28–29 December 2014, the comet passed 1/3° from globular cluster Messier 79.[9] In January 2015, it brightened to roughly magnitude 4,[10] and became one of the brightest comets located high in a dark sky since comet C/1995 O1 (Hale–Bopp) in 1997. On 7 January 2015, the comet passed 0.469 AU (70.2 million km; 43.6 million mi) from Earth.[5] It crossed the celestial equator on 9 January 2015, becoming better seen from the Northern Hemisphere.[11] The comet came to perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on 30 January 2015, at a distance of 1.29 AU (193 million km; 120 million mi) from the Sun.[4] At perihelion, its water production rate exceeded 20 metric tons per second.[12]

C/2014 Q2 originated from the Oort cloud,[12] but is not a dynamically new comet.[13] Before entering the planetary region (epoch 1950), C/2014 Q2 had an orbital period of about 11,000 years, with an aphelion about 995 AU (148.8 billion km; 92.5 billion mi) from the Sun.[3] After leaving the planetary region (epoch 2050), it will have an orbital period of about 8,000 years, with aphelion of about 800 AU.[3]

The comet was observed to release 21 different organic molecules in gas, including ethanol and glycolaldehyde, a simple sugar.[12][14] The presence of organic molecules suggests that they are preserved materials synthesized in the outskirts of the solar nebula or at earlier stages of the Solar System formation.[12] Its blue-green glow is the result of organic molecules (mostly Diatomic carbon) and water released by the comet fluorescing under the intense UV and optical light of the Sun as it passes through space.[12][15]

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References

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  1. ^ J. Vermette (26 January 2015). "Comet Lovejoy". Sky & Telescope. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d G. V. Williams (19 August 2014). "MPEC 2014-Q10 : Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy)". www.minorplanetcenter.net. Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d Horizons output. "Barycentric Osculating Orbital Elements for Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy)". Retrieved 5 January 2015. (Solution using the Solar System Barycenter and barycentric coordinates. Select Ephemeris Type:Elements and Center:@0)
  4. ^ a b c G. V. Williams (7 September 2014). "MPEC 2014-R69 : Observations and Orbits of Comets". www.minorplanetcenter.net. Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  5. ^ a b "C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  6. ^ D. C. Jewitt (2022). "Destruction of Long-period Comets". Astronomical Journal. 164 (4): 158–166. arXiv:2208.04469. Bibcode:2022AJ....164..158J. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ac886d.
  7. ^ S. Yoshida (7 December 2014). "Weekly Information about Bright Comets (2014 Dec. 6: South)". www.aerith.net. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  8. ^ A. MacRobert (15 December 2014). "Binocular Comet Lovejoy Heading Our Way". Sky & Telescope. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  9. ^ B. King (8 December 2014). "C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy – A Binocular Comet in Time for Christmas". Universe Today. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  10. ^ S. Yoshida. "C/2014 Q2 ( Lovejoy )". www.aerith.net. Archived from the original on 15 September 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  11. ^ "Elements and Ephemeris for C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy)". Minor Planet Center. CK14Q020. Archived from the original on 30 October 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
  12. ^ a b c d e N. Biver; D. Bockelée-Morvan; R. Moreno; J. Crovisier; P. Colom; et al. (2015). "Ethyl alcohol and sugar in comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy)". Science Advances. 1 (9). e1500863. arXiv:1511.04999. Bibcode:2015SciA....1E0863B. doi:10.1126/sciadv.1500863. PMC 4646833. PMID 26601319.
  13. ^ "C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy)". www.minorplanetcenter.net. Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  14. ^ W. Steigerwald (23 October 2015). "Researchers Catch Comet Lovejoy Giving Away Alcohol". NASA. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  15. ^ P. Plait (3 January 2015). "Comet Lovejoy, Because Holy Wow". Slate.com. Bad Astronomy. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
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