WHAT HAPPENED TO COMET 73P SCHWASSMANN-WACHMANN-3/

Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 was observed in September-October 199 5 with the Nancay radio telescope as part of our program of observatio ns of potential targets for the ROSETTA International Mission. We obse rved an increase of the OH production rate which reached a level more than one order of magnitude larger than expected from the visual obser vations at the previous returns. Following this alert, observations re vealed a similar increase of the total visual magnitudes of the comet; a split nucleus was observed in December. We present and discuss the radio observations. It is suggested that the enhanced activity of the comet is related to the disruption of its nucleus.