Reports from Geisei Observatory <October 27, 2012>

Magnificent 168P/Hergenrother

    This is a beautiful image of 168P, whose nucleus is known to have　been fragmented on October 26.4 (UT).
    These photographs were taken at 1 am on October 19 before the fragmentation occurred. The exposure for the upper photo is 1.5 minutes and the bottom one 2 minutes.
    This periodic comet has appeared twice in the past, but at this apparition it has attracted the attention of observers by unusual brightening.
    The bright star at lower right of the comet is at GSC magnitude 9.13 and the comet’s total magnitude is slightly brighter than this. It was visually at the 8th magnitude in the binoculars. It seems to have become somewhat fainter since. Its total magnitude was estimated to be 9.9 with an 25cm reflector on October 20.59 (UT) by Mr. Hirohisa Sato, director of the Comet Section of OAA.