Scientists Have Never Seen a Comet Behave Like This Before

Comet 29P keeps exploding, and scientists are trying to figure out why. If you love learning about science as much as I do, head to http://brilliant.org/astrum to start for free. You'll also receive 20% off a premium annual subscription, giving you unlimited access to everything on Brilliant. ▀▀▀▀▀▀ Between Jupiter and Neptune lurks Centaur 29P, an icy comet that won't stop exploding. Its wild cryovolcanic outbursts can make it flare 300 times brighter in a matter of hours, but the reason for these random eruptions has long been a mystery. Now, recent discoveries from the James Webb Telescope have provided a clue to the secret trigger powering the chaos. Join us as we investigate the strange case of the solar system's most explosive comet. ▀▀▀▀▀▀ 0:00 Exploding Comet 1:13 Centaur 29P 3:08 Violent Eruptions 5:19 Cryovolcanism 7:51 Predicting Eruptions 9:28 Jets of Gas 10:54 Amorphous vs Crystalline Ice 14:48 The Future ▀▀▀▀▀▀ Astrum's newsletter has launched! Want to know what's happening in space? Sign up here: https://astrumspace.kit.com ▀▀▀▀▀▀ Astrum Displate Posters: https://astrumspace.info/Displates Astrum Infographic Artwork: https://electrify.art/collections/astrum Astrum Merch: https://astrum-shop.fourthwall.com/ Join us on the Astrum discord: https://discord.gg/TKw8Hpvtv8 A huge thanks to our Patreons who help make these videos possible. Sign-up here to support the channel: https://bit.ly/4aiJZNF ▀▀▀▀▀▀ Astrum Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6jPRrbq3o3dpvBb173ZTKi?si=a90d3efe3b704c83 Astrum Earth: https://youtube.com/@AstrumEarth Astrum Extra: https://www.youtube.com/@astrumextra Astrum Spanish: https://www.youtube.com/@astrumespanol Astrum Portuguese: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChn_-OwvV63mr1yeUGvH-BQ ▀▀▀▀▀▀ References: "Massive eruption from icy volcanic comet detected in solar system", via livescience.com https://astrumspace.info/29Perupts "CO Gas and Dust Outbursts from Centaur 29P/Schwassmann–Wachmann", via iop.org https://astrumspace.info/COoutbursts "Our solar system’s centaurs are half-asteroid, half-comet", via astronomy.com https://astrumspace.info/centaurs "NASA’s Webb Reveals Unusual Jets of Volatile Gas from Icy Centaur 29P" https://astrumspace.info/unusualjets29P "Centaur 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 and its near-nucleus environment from a stellar occultation", via arxiv.org https://astrumspace.info/Centaur29P "MISSION 29P – Centaur comet observing campaign news", via britastro.org https://astrumspace.info/29Pobservations "This mysterious comet's super-bright outbursts have astronomers puzzled", via livescience.com https://astrumspace.info/strangeoutbursts "Anatomy of outbursts and quiescent activity of Comet 29P/Schwassmann–Wachmann", via sciencedirect.com https://astrumspace.info/anatomyofoutbursts "Centaur 29P Outgassing (NIRSpec)", via webbtelescope.org https://astrumspace.info/JWSTcentaur29P "29P/Schwassmann–Wachmann 1: A Rosetta Stone for Amorphous Water Ice and CO :left_right_arrow: CO2 Conversion in Centaurs and Comets?", via iop.org https://astrumspace.info/29Picevolcano ▀▀▀▀▀▀ Credits: Writer: Julia Masselos Video Editor: Matheus L. Heberlê Researcher: Edie Abrahams Script Editor: Damaris McColgan Thumbnail Designer: Peter Sheppard Channel Manager: Georgina Brenner Production Manager: Raquel Taylor Head of Astrum: Jess Jordan Creator of Astrum: Alex McColgan With special thanks to: NASA/ESO/ESA #Astrum #Space #Comet #Centaur29P