Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann Bursts as "Ice Volcano" Erupts

Want to see something crazy amazing? Late on February 9th, Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann underwent another of its famous cryovolcanic explosions, causing its brightness to jump magnitudes from approximately 13.5 to 11.5. In a matter of hours, the comet's visual appearance morphed from a faint, diffuse object on the edge of visibility to a tiny, dense cotton ball less than 15″ across. It's now within reach of 8- to 10-inch telescopes. I had my first look at the changeling through a 15-inch Dob..