All articles tagged with #cryomagma
NASA’s Dawn data mark Ahuna Mons on the dwarf planet Ceres as a four-kilometer-tall cryovolcanic dome built from a viscous brine–ice–salt slurry that surfaced and froze, with gravity evidence pointing to a buried source. Its youthful, steep profile and bright mineral streaks suggest recent internal activity within tens to hundreds of millions of years, making it a standout, possibly episodic example of icy volcanism on Ceres.
The massive "devil comet" known as Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks has lost its iconic horns after its latest volcanic eruption, but has gained a rare green hue and a mysterious shadow. The comet, a cryovolcanic comet with an icy nucleus, has experienced three major eruptions, each time expanding its coma and appearing brighter to astronomers. The absence of horns suggests that the eruption may have damaged the obstruction that caused their formation. Additionally, the comet's coma now exhibits a green coloration due to high levels of dicarbon, and a shadow is believed to be cast by the outflowing cryomagma. Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is expected to make its closest approach to Earth in June 2023.