Scientists Track the Event of Comet Hergenrother Splitting Apart

Comet Hergenrother has begun to split apart according to scientists. Astronomers and immature sky -watchers following the comet's trajectory through the sky since early October observed that it is currently navigating the inner solar system and spewing cometary dust material. It appears that the comet's nucleus has jumped to the next step in its fragmentation.

"Comet Hergenrother is splitting apart," said Rachel Stevenson, a post-doctoral fellow working at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "Using the National Optical Astronomy Observatory's Gemini North Telescope on top of Mauna Kea, Hawaii, we have resolved that the nucleus of the comet has separated into at least four distinct pieces resulting in a large increase in dust material in its coma."

The fragmentation was first noticed by a Hawaii-based team of astronomers from the Remanzacco Obsevatory on Oct. 26. The team was using the Faulkes telescope. The event was also caught by the WIYN telescope group at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona.

With more material to reflect the sun's rays, the comet's coma has brightened considerably.

"The comet fragments are considerably fainter than the nucleus," said James Bauer, the deputy principal investigator for NASA's NEOWISE mission, from the California Institute of Technology. "This is suggestive of chunks of material being ejected from the surface."

 Comet Hergenrother was discovered by Carl W. Hergenrother and its orbit around the sun was put at about 6.9 years. The comet is not a threat to Earth.

Enthusiasts, who want to view Hergenrother, can see it in between the constellations of Andromeda and Lacerta. A large-sized telescope and a dark sky are primary requirements.