Dusty Avalanches Probably Cause Comet Outbursts

Comet outbursts are likely caused by landslides rather than pressure-based eruptions from the icy bodies' interiors, a new study suggests. Outbursts of cometary dust — such as those observed at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko by Europe's Rosetta spacecraft — produce plumes that look like those generated by geyser eruptions on Earth. "There is no internal heat source on comets to power geyser-like eruptions," study lead author Jordan Steckloff, an associate research scientis