Capture the moment of the Paradox Volcano erupting into the sky

Close monitoring of Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann (29Ƥ) paid off when scientists directly recorded the violent eruption of a mysterious ice volcano.

According to Live Science, ice volcanoes are a type of volcano that is the opposite of volcanoes on Earth and can only be found in cosmic objects residing in the cold and remote parts of the solar system.

Astronomers recently predicted that 29P is about to erupt, so put it on a close watch list.

Indeed, in early April, a team of scientists from the British Astronomical Association (BAA) observed 29P Brightness Peak. Subsequent light analysis data showed that it was eruption of an ice volcano on a comet.

Comet 29P

Comet 29P – (Photo: NASA).

According to Spaceweather, the latest eruption resembles the scene where the cork has just popped out of a champagne bottle, although scientists have yet to quantify its strength.

The flash when frost breaks out is caused by light reflected from gas and ice, also known as “cryomagma”when the comet enters its sublimation phase due to its proximity to the Sun.

Earlier in November 2022, another eruption from this comet released more than a million tons of cromagma into space, becoming the second such outburst on record in the past 12 years.

However, like all comet flares, scientists cannot predict when the 2022 flare will occur, so they cannot directly and completely observe it like this time.

The last event will give them clearer data to understand about the Mysterious ice volcano in the solar system.

Ice volcanoes also exist on a number of other icy objects, in addition to comets, the moons of other planets such as Saturn’s Enceladus or Neptune’s Triton are also said to have ice volcanoes.

29P is one of many comets in the Kuiper Belt, a ring of icy objects outside Neptune’s orbit but then pushed into an area closer to the Sun than around Jupiter.

Article source: NTD