Comet 289P/Blanpain: Near-perihelion Activity and the Phoenicids
We present NEOWISE observations of Jupiter family comet 289P/Blanpain, the parent body of the Phoenicid meteoroid stream. Near-infrared images at 3.4 μ m (W1) and 4.6 μ m (W2) were obtained near perihelion on two occasions: UT 2019 October 30 (inbound, heliocentric distance R _h = 1.20 au) and UT 20...
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IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ad95fd |
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| author | Toshihiro Kasuga |
| author_facet | Toshihiro Kasuga |
| author_sort | Toshihiro Kasuga |
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| description | We present NEOWISE observations of Jupiter family comet 289P/Blanpain, the parent body of the Phoenicid meteoroid stream. Near-infrared images at 3.4 μ m (W1) and 4.6 μ m (W2) were obtained near perihelion on two occasions: UT 2019 October 30 (inbound, heliocentric distance R _h = 1.20 au) and UT 2020 January 11–12 (outbound, R _h = 1.01 au). To assess faint activity, we establish constraints on dust production driven by the limited sublimating area of water ice, based on studies of the 1956 Phoenicids. The ejected dust masses are M _d = 4100 ± 200 kg (inbound) and 1700 ± 200 kg (outbound), respectively. The dust production rates are Q _dust = 0.01–0.02 kg s ^−1 , corresponding to a dust-to-gas production ratio of 2 ≤ f _dg ≤ 6. The resulting fractional active area, f _A = 3.8 ± 1.9 × 10 ^−5 , is the smallest yet reported. The absence of 4.6 μ m (W2) excess suggests that 289P/Blanpain contains negligible amounts of CO _2 and CO. Time-resolved analysis of the weighted mean of the W1 and W2 magnitudes finds a distinctive peak amplitude in the light curve having a rotational period P _rot = 8.8536 ± 0.3860 hr, however, further verification is needed. The perihelion-normalized nongravitational acceleration, ${\alpha }_{{\rm{NG}}}^{\prime} $ = 3.1 × 10 ^−6 , is approximately an order of magnitude smaller than the trend observed for well-studied comets, consistent with weak outgassing. Current dust production from 289P/Blanpain, regardless of plausible assumptions for the particle size and distribution, is an order of magnitude too small to produce the Phoenicid stream within its ~300 yr dynamical lifetime. This suggests another mass supply, probably in 1743–1819, from rapid rotational destruction of a subkilometer precursor body, resulting in fragments equaling the mass of an object with radius ~ 100 m. |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
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| series | The Astronomical Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-e89fbfa83bcb43b7b08944988398ef4d2025-08-20T03:36:42ZengIOP PublishingThe Astronomical Journal1538-38812025-01-0116925410.3847/1538-3881/ad95fdComet 289P/Blanpain: Near-perihelion Activity and the PhoenicidsToshihiro Kasuga0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5903-7391National Astronomical Observatory of Japan , 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan ; toshi.kasuga@nao.ac.jpWe present NEOWISE observations of Jupiter family comet 289P/Blanpain, the parent body of the Phoenicid meteoroid stream. Near-infrared images at 3.4 μ m (W1) and 4.6 μ m (W2) were obtained near perihelion on two occasions: UT 2019 October 30 (inbound, heliocentric distance R _h = 1.20 au) and UT 2020 January 11–12 (outbound, R _h = 1.01 au). To assess faint activity, we establish constraints on dust production driven by the limited sublimating area of water ice, based on studies of the 1956 Phoenicids. The ejected dust masses are M _d = 4100 ± 200 kg (inbound) and 1700 ± 200 kg (outbound), respectively. The dust production rates are Q _dust = 0.01–0.02 kg s ^−1 , corresponding to a dust-to-gas production ratio of 2 ≤ f _dg ≤ 6. The resulting fractional active area, f _A = 3.8 ± 1.9 × 10 ^−5 , is the smallest yet reported. The absence of 4.6 μ m (W2) excess suggests that 289P/Blanpain contains negligible amounts of CO _2 and CO. Time-resolved analysis of the weighted mean of the W1 and W2 magnitudes finds a distinctive peak amplitude in the light curve having a rotational period P _rot = 8.8536 ± 0.3860 hr, however, further verification is needed. The perihelion-normalized nongravitational acceleration, ${\alpha }_{{\rm{NG}}}^{\prime} $ = 3.1 × 10 ^−6 , is approximately an order of magnitude smaller than the trend observed for well-studied comets, consistent with weak outgassing. Current dust production from 289P/Blanpain, regardless of plausible assumptions for the particle size and distribution, is an order of magnitude too small to produce the Phoenicid stream within its ~300 yr dynamical lifetime. This suggests another mass supply, probably in 1743–1819, from rapid rotational destruction of a subkilometer precursor body, resulting in fragments equaling the mass of an object with radius ~ 100 m.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ad95fdSmall Solar System bodiesNear-Earth objectsCometsShort period cometsAsteroidsMeteors |
| spellingShingle | Toshihiro Kasuga Comet 289P/Blanpain: Near-perihelion Activity and the Phoenicids The Astronomical Journal Small Solar System bodies Near-Earth objects Comets Short period comets Asteroids Meteors |
| title | Comet 289P/Blanpain: Near-perihelion Activity and the Phoenicids |
| title_full | Comet 289P/Blanpain: Near-perihelion Activity and the Phoenicids |
| title_fullStr | Comet 289P/Blanpain: Near-perihelion Activity and the Phoenicids |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comet 289P/Blanpain: Near-perihelion Activity and the Phoenicids |
| title_short | Comet 289P/Blanpain: Near-perihelion Activity and the Phoenicids |
| title_sort | comet 289p blanpain near perihelion activity and the phoenicids |
| topic | Small Solar System bodies Near-Earth objects Comets Short period comets Asteroids Meteors |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ad95fd |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT toshihirokasuga comet289pblanpainnearperihelionactivityandthephoenicids |