C/2014 B1 (Schwartz)

Lore & Background

The comet was discovered in the early evening of 28 January 2014 by American astronomer Michael B. Schwartz using an astrograph from the Tenagra Observatory near Nogales, Arizona. At discovery, it was about 12.0 AU from the Sun. Subsequent observations from several other observatories worldwide confirmed its cometary nature on 29 January 2014.

The comet reached perihelion in September 2017, achieving its maximum recorded brightness as a 15th-magnitude object. In 2021, it was 1.61 billion km from Earth and was observed near the galaxy PGC 48046, where it was expected to remain brighter than magnitude 20.0 until at least 2023.

Observations from the NEOWISE mission revealed that due to the comet's large perihelion distance, which is too cold for water ice to sublimate, cometary activity is mostly driven by carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide gases, a phenomenon also seen in comets C/2010 U3 and C/2017 K2. Ground observations showed a morphologically stable discus-shaped coma that increased in brightness by 1.0 magnitude by perihelion. Initial nucleus size estimates in 2019 were roughly 2–10 km in radius; reanalysis of a 2017 photographic observation refined the effective radius to 6.364±0.214 km. Spectral and polarimetric observations from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory revealed that jet structures are much redder than the ambient coma, and the nucleus itself also has a reddish color.

Reader's Guide

C/2014 B1 (Schwartz) is significant as a distant parabolic comet whose activity is driven by carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide rather than water ice, due to its large perihelion distance of 9.56 AU. This places it among a class of comets, including C/2010 U3 and C/2017 K2, that exhibit similar behavior. The comet's discovery by amateur astronomer Michael B. Schwartz using an astrograph at Tenagra Observatory highlights the role of dedicated observers in finding distant solar system objects. Its nucleus radius was refined to 6.364±0.214 km using a new method that infers absolute brightness from the coma's brightness distribution, demonstrating advances in cometary analysis. The reddish color of its jet structures and nucleus, revealed by spectral and polarimetric observations from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, provides clues about the composition of material in the outer solar system. The comet remained observable beyond magnitude 20.0 until at least 2023, offering a long observational window for study.

Did You Know?

• Its perihelion distance of 9.56 AU is too cold for water ice to sublimate, so activity is driven by carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.
• Spectral and polarimetric observations from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory show the nucleus and jet structures have a reddish color.