Comet Jacques is now past its best but remains well placed for observation high in the sky during the second half of September. In July when at its brightest, Jacques reached the cusp of naked eye visibility; just too faint to be seen without optical aid but nevertheless a superb sight in binoculars, telescopes and a wonderful object for astro imagers.
Location and star chart
The comet is currently traveling in a south-westerly direction. It started September by moving into Cygnus from Cepheus where it remains until the middle of the month. During this period it traveled almost parallel to the body of the "Swan" and on September 14th passes a degree east of beautiful double star Albireo (β Cyg - mag. +3.0). Later on the same day Jacques moves into Vulpecula and on September 21st passes just west of the large open cluster Collinder 399; more commonly know as the "Coathanger". This loose star grouping is easily visible in binoculars and does look remarkably like a Coathanger! Jacques then crosses into Sagitta and onto Aquila (Sep 24th), where it stays for the remainder of the month.
The comet is expected to dim from magnitude +7.6 to +9.9 as the month progresses. During the second part of the month, it's visible relatively high in the sky after sunset from most locations as soon as it's dark enough. It should be visible with small telescopes during this time, although it will start to become more and more difficult to spot with binoculars as it dims. It may also be difficult to see against the rich Milky Way background that fills this part of the sky.
The finder chart below shows the positions of Jacques from September 10th to September 23rd, 2014.
Comet Jacques (C/2014 E2) Finder Chart from Sep 10th to Sep 23rd, 2014 - pdf format
C/2014 E2 (Jacques) Data (at epoch May 23, 2014)
| Name | C/2014 E2 (Jacques) |
|---|---|
| Type | Comet |
| Discoverer | Cristovao Jacques, Eduardo Pimentel and Joao Ribeiro de Barros |
| Discovery date | March 13, 2014 |
| Aphelion (AU) | 1445.3 |
| Perihelion (AU) | 0.66384 |
| Semi-major axis | 722.98 |
| Eccentricity | 0.9991 |
| Orbital period (years) | 19440 |
| Inclination (degrees) | 156.39 |
| Longitude of ascending node (degrees) | 56.389 |
| Perihelion | July 2, 2014 |
| Notes | Magnitude +14.7 at discovery |
Comet (C/2014 E2) Jacques Data Table
| Date | Right Ascension | Declination | Mag. | Distance from Earth (AU) | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Sep 2014 | 21h 25m 29s | 56d 31m 32s | 7.6 | 0.576 | Cepheus |
| 02 Sep 2014 | 21h 08m 38s | 54d 12m 34s | 7.7 | 0.584 | Cygnus |
| 03 Sep 2014 | 20h 54m 06s | 51d 49m 28s | 7.7 | 0.594 | Cygnus |
| 04 Sep 2014 | 20h 41m 32s | 49d 25m 01s | 7.8 | 0.606 | Cygnus |
| 05 Sep 2014 | 20h 30m 40s | 47d 01m 25s | 7.8 | 0.619 | Cygnus |
| 06 Sep 2014 | 20h 21m 14s | 44d 40m 22s | 7.9 | 0.634 | Cygnus |
| 07 Sep 2014 | 20h 13m 00s | 42d 23m 07s | 7.9 | 0.651 | Cygnus |
| 08 Sep 2014 | 20h 05m 48s | 40d 10m 34s | 8.0 | 0.669 | Cygnus |
| 09 Sep 2014 | 19h 59m 28s | 38d 03m 18s | 8.0 | 0.688 | Cygnus |
| 10 Sep 2014 | 19h 53m 53s | 36d 01m 39s | 8.1 | 0.709 | Cygnus |
| 11 Sep 2014 | 19h 48m 56s | 34d 05m 49s | 8.1 | 0.731 | Cygnus |
| 12 Sep 2014 | 19h 44m 33s | 32d 15m 47s | 8.2 | 0.754 | Cygnus |
| 13 Sep 2014 | 19h 40m 38s | 30d 31m 30s | 8.2 | 0.777 | Cygnus |
| 14 Sep 2014 | 19h 37m 08s | 28d 52m 48s | 8.3 | 0.802 | Cygnus |
| 15 Sep 2014 | 19h 33m 60s | 27d 19m 30s | 8.3 | 0.827 | Vulpecula |
| 16 Sep 2014 | 19h 31m 11s | 25d 51m 19s | 8.4 | 0.853 | Vulpecula |
| 17 Sep 2014 | 19h 28m 39s | 24d 28m 03s | 8.4 | 0.880 | Vulpecula |
| 18 Sep 2014 | 19h 26m 23s | 23d 09m 24s | 8.5 | 0.907 | Vulpecula |
| 19 Sep 2014 | 19h 24m 20s | 21d 55m 06s | 8.6 | 0.935 | Vulpecula |
| 20 Sep 2014 | 19h 22m 30s | 20d 44m 54s | 8.7 | 0.963 | Vulpecula |
| 21 Sep 2014 | 19h 20m 50s | 19d 38m 33s | 8.8 | 0.992 | Vulpecula |
| 22 Sep 2014 | 19h 19m 20s | 18d 35m 49s | 8.9 | 1.021 | Sagitta |
| 23 Sep 2014 | 19h 17m 60s | 17d 36m 27s | 9.0 | 1.051 | Sagitta |
| 24 Sep 2014 | 19h 16m 47s | 16d 40m 14s | 9.1 | 1.081 | Sagitta |
| 25 Sep 2014 | 19h 15m 42s | 15d 46m 58s | 9.2 | 1.111 | Aquila |
| 26 Sep 2014 | 19h 14m 43s | 14d 56m 29s | 9.3 | 1.141 | Aquila |
| 27 Sep 2014 | 19h 13m 51s | 14d 08m 34s | 9.4 | 1.172 | Aquila |
| 28 Sep 2014 | 19h 13m 05s | 13d 23m 04s | 9.5 | 1.203 | Aquila |
| 29 Sep 2014 | 19h 12m 23s | 12d 39m 51s | 9.7 | 1.234 | Aquila |
| 30 Sep 2014 | 19h 11m 47s | 11d 58m 45s | 9.9 | 1.266 | Aquila |
See also
Comet Jacques (C/2014 E2) now within small telescope range
Comet Jacques (C/2014 E2) visible with binoculars and small scopes
Comet Jacques (C/2014 E2) moves north, remains visible with binoculars
Comet Jacques (C/2014 E2) passes north of the "W" of Cassiopeia
Comet Jacques (C/2014 E2) remains within binocular range