Icy volcano eruptions caused a powerful outburst on comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann

The outburst was recorded at the Simeiz Observatory on May 13

Astronomers from the Simeiz Observatory in Crimea recorded a powerful outburst on comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann. This was reported by the press service of the Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Similar phenomena have not been observed since the end of February this year. The medium-power outburst on comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann was first seen in a meter-long telescope on the evening of May 13.

29P is a very unusual comet. Moving in a near-circular orbit slightly beyond Jupiter, it constantly flares up, quickly and suddenly increasing its brightness by factors of times or tens of times. The number of small outbursts is in the dozens per year, and more powerful ones, like the May one, occur every few months.
Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Scientists note that regular outbursts occur due to eruptions of icy volcanoes (cryovolcanoes) on the large cryocore of comet 29P.

Earlier, www1.ru reported that a Russian astronomer discovered the 15th comet in his career.

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