Dust Production from Mini Outbursts of Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1

Abstract

Abstract Here we report on the results of observations of comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 obtained using four telescopes, in three different countries, from 2019 September 25 to 2020 January 19. During the last four months of 2019, comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 exhibited new outburst behavior indicative of small or mini outbursts in which the brightening of the comet lasted from only a few days to more than a week. We used Johnson-Cousins R C-band multi-aperture photometry measurements to calculate the dust production, via Afρ, the dust production rate, and the dust brightness profile of the comet for each night of observations. During these observations, the brightness of the comet fluctuated significantly multiple times, with notable changes in brightness ranging from 0.41 to 0.71 mag over time periods of only a couple of days to nearly two weeks.