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{{Infobox Comet
| name=168P/Hergenrother
| image=
| discoverer=[[Carl W. Hergenrother]]
| discovery_date=November 22, 1998
| designations=P/1998 W2<br />P/2005 N2
| epoch=March 6, 2006
| semimajor=3.632 [[Astronomical Unit|AU]]
| perihelion=1.426 AU
| aphelion=5.839 AU
| eccentricity=0.6075
| period=6.923 [[Julian year (astronomy)|a]]
| inclination= 21.8934°
| last_p=October 1, 2012<ref name="NK1778"/><br>November 2, 2005
| next_p=August 5, 2019<ref name="NK2283"/>
}}
'''168P/Hergenrother''' is a [[List of periodic comets|periodic]] [[comet]] in the [[solar system]]. The comet originally named '''P/1998 W2''' returned in 2005 and got the temporary name '''P/2005 N2'''.<ref name="recovery"/>

The comet came to [[Apsis|perihelion]] on 1 October 2012,<ref name="NK1778"/> and was expected to reach about [[apparent magnitude]] 15.2, but due to an outburst the comet reached apparent magnitude 8.<ref name="Yoshida-2012"/> As a result of the outburst of gas and dust, the comet was briefly more than 500 times brighter than it would have been without the outburst.<ref name=outburst-math/> Images by the {{convert|2|m|in|abbr=on}} [[Faulkes Telescope North]] on 26 October 2012 confirm a [[Comet nucleus#Splitting|fragmentation event]].<ref name="Faulkes"/> The secondary fragment was about magnitude 17. Further observations by the {{convert|8.1|m|in|abbr=on}} [[Gemini telescope]] show that the comet fragmented into at least 4 parts.<ref name="badastronomy"/>

== References ==
{{reflist
| refs =
<ref name="NK1778">{{cite web
  |date=2009-04-23
  |title=168P/Hergenrother   (NK 1778)
  |publisher=OAA Computing and Minor Planet Sections
  |author=[[Syuichi Nakano]]
  |url=http://www.oaa.gr.jp/~oaacs/nk/nk1778.htm
  |accessdate=2012-02-20}}</ref>

<ref name="NK2283">{{cite web
  |date=2012-07-17 
  |title=168P/Hergenrother   (NK 2283)
  |publisher=OAA Computing and Minor Planet Sections
  |author=[[Syuichi Nakano]]
  |url=http://www.oaa.gr.jp/~oaacs/nk/nk2283.htm
  |accessdate=2012-10-13}}</ref>

<ref name="recovery">[http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iauc/08500/08560.html IAUC 8560: recovery of comet P/1998 W2]</ref>

<ref name="Yoshida-2012">{{cite web
  |date=2012-02-21
  |title=168P/Hergenrother (2012)
  |publisher=Seiichi Yoshida's Comet Catalog
  |author=Seiichi Yoshida
  |url=http://www.aerith.net/comet/catalog/0168P/2012.html
  |accessdate=2012-02-25}}</ref>

<ref name=outburst-math>[[Apparent magnitude#Calculations|Math]]: <math>(\sqrt[5]{100})^{15.2-8}\approx 758</math></ref>

<ref name="Faulkes">{{cite web
  |date=October 26, 2012
  |title=Splitting event in comet 168P/Hergenrother
  |publisher=Remanzacco Observatory in Italy – Comets & Neo
  |author=[[Giovanni Sostero]], [http://www.faulkes-telescope.com/team Nick Howes] & Ernesto Guido
  |url=http://remanzacco.blogspot.it/2012/10/splitting-event-in-comet.html
  |accessdate=2012-10-28}}</ref>

<ref name="badastronomy">{{cite web
  |date=2012-11-05
  |title=Breaking up is easy to do. If you’re a comet.
  |publisher=Bad Astronomy
  |author=[[Phil Plait]]
  |url=http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2012/11/05/breaking-up-is-easy-to-do-if-youre-a-comet/
  |accessdate=2012-11-05}}</ref>

}}

== External links ==
* [http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=168P;orb=1 Orbital simulation] from JPL (Java) / [http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons.cgi?find_body=1&body_group=sb&sstr=168P Horizons Ephemeris]
* [http://www.aerith.net/comet/catalog/0168P/index.html 168P on Seiichi Yoshida's comet list]
* [http://scully.cfa.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/returnprepeph.cgi?d=c&o=0168P Elements and Ephemeris for 168P/Hergenrother] – [[Minor Planet Center]]
* [http://cometography.com/pcomets/168p.html 168P at Kronk's Cometography]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFcwzQe_hHc Comet 168P Hergenrother in outburst] (Google+ chat archive Oct 12, 2012)
* [http://transientsky.wordpress.com/2012/10/20/comet-hergenrother-in-outburst/ Comet Hergenrother in Outburst] (Carl Hergenrother : 20 Oct 2012)
* [http://podideployment.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/a-comet.html Comet 168P and fragment] as seen by [[Kitt Peak National Observatory|Kitt Peak]] [[WIYN Observatory|WIYN]] {{convert|3.5|m|in|adj=on}} on 30 Oct 2012
* [http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2012-349 Scientists Monitor Comet Breakup] (168P-Hergenrother was imaged by the NOAO/[[Gemini telescope]] Nov. 2, 2012)
{{Comets}}
{{PeriodicComets Navigator|167P/CINEOS|169P/NEAT}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hergenrother, 168P}}
[[Category:Comets]]
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