C/2014 E2 (Jacques)
Long-period comet discovered by Brazilian astronomers in March 2014.
C/2014 E2 (Jacques) is a long-period comet that was first spotted on the night of 13 March 2014 by a team of Brazilian astronomers: Cristóvão Jacques Lage de Faria, Eduardo Pimentel, João Ribeiro de Barros, and Marcelo Dias. It marks the second comet discovery for the SONEAR Observatory team, following C/2014 A4.
The discovery was made using a 0.45-meter (17.7-inch) f/2.9 wide-field reflector telescope with an equatorial mount and CCD camera at the Southern Observatory for Near Earth Asteroids Research (SONEAR), located near Oliveira, Minas Gerais, Brazil. By late March 2014, the comet displayed a dense, bright coma of magnitude 11.5 to 12, visible through an 8-inch telescope. On 8 May 2014, it crossed the celestial equator and became observable from the Northern Hemisphere. Between 3 June and 17 July 2014, its elongation from the Sun remained less than 30 degrees. The comet appeared in LASCO C3 imagery on 21 June 2014. Around mid-July, C/2014 E2 reached a peak apparent magnitude of about 6, making it visible in binoculars above the morning twilight glow.
On 13 July 2014, the comet passed within 0.085 AU (12,700,000 km; 7,900,000 mi) of Venus. A week later, on 20 July, it appeared near the naked-eye star Beta Tauri. On 22 August, it swept past Epsilon Cassiopeiae. Its closest approach to Earth, or perigee, occurred on 28 August 2014 at a distance of 0.56 AU (84,000,000 km; 52,000,000 mi). From 4 to 5 September, the comet passed roughly 3 degrees from Deneb, and on 14 September it was near Albireo. By October 2014, its brightness had faded to magnitude 10.
Quick Facts
- Discoverer
- Cristóvão Jacques / Eduardo Pimentel / João Ribeiro de Barros / Marcelo Dias
- Discovery Date
- 13 March 2014
- Epoch
- 2014 May 23.0 TT / (JD 2456800.5)
- Aphelion
- ~1600 AU (epoch 1950)
- Perihelion
- 0.6638 AU (q)
- Eccentricity
- 0.99912 (e)
- Period
- ~22,000 years inbound (Barycentric solution for epoch 1950) / ~12,000 years outbound / (Barycentric solution for epoch 2050)
- Avg Speed
- 27 km/s
- Max Speed
- 51.7 km/s
- Inclination
- 156.4° (i)
- Last P
- 2014 July 2
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The comet was discovered using a 0.45-meter f/2.9 wide-field reflector telescope with equatorial assembly and CCD camera at the Southern Observatory for Near Earth Asteroids Research (SONEAR), near Oliveira, Minas Gerais, Brazil. In late March 2014, it appeared to contain a dense, bright coma of magnitude 11.5–12, visible with an 8-inch telescope. It crossed the celestial equator on 8 May 2014, becoming a Northern Hemisphere object. From 3 June to 17 July 2014, its elongation from the Sun was less than 30 degrees. The comet was visible in LASCO C3 on 21 June 2014. It peaked around apparent magnitude 6 in mid-July and was visible in binoculars above the glow of morning twilight. On 13 July 2014, it passed 0.085 AU from Venus. On 20 July 2014, it was near the naked-eye star Beta Tauri. On 22 August 2014, it passed Epsilon Cassiopeiae. It reached perigee on 28 August 2014 at 0.56 AU. The comet passed about 3 degrees from Deneb on 4–5 September 2014, and on 14 September it was near Albireo. By October 2014, the comet had faded to magnitude 10.
Reader's Guide
C/2014 E2 (Jacques) is notable as the second comet discovered by the SONEAR Observatory team, highlighting the observatory's contribution to comet detection from the Southern Hemisphere. Its discovery by a team of Brazilian astronomers underscores the role of amateur and professional collaboration in astronomical research. The comet's close approach to Venus on 13 July 2014, at a distance of 0.085 AU, provided a rare opportunity for study, and its visibility in LASCO C3 imagery on 21 June 2014 allowed for continuous observation during its solar conjunction. The comet's peak brightness of magnitude 6 in mid-July made it accessible to binocular observers, and its path across the sky—passing near bright stars such as Beta Tauri, Epsilon Cassiopeiae, Deneb, and Albireo—offered multiple reference points for amateur astronomers. The comet's perigee on 28 August 2014 at 0.56 AU marked its closest approach to Earth, after which it gradually faded. The event sequence, from discovery in March 2014 to fading by October, provides a complete observational arc for a long-period comet.
Did You Know?
- C/2014 E2 (Jacques) was the second comet discovered by the SONEAR Observatory team.
- The comet peaked at apparent magnitude 6 in mid-July 2014.
More in Named Comets, Part 4 1-24
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