Jupiter's New Impact Scar
Credit & Copyright: Anthony Wesley
Posted on 07/23/2009 5:22:36 AM PDT by sig226
Explanation: In July of 1994 pieces of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 collided with planet Jupiter. The explosive impacts sent plumes of debris high into the Jovian atmosphere creating dark markings or scars, visible for a time against the cloud bands. Remarkably, 15 years later, another impact scar was discovered in the Jovian atmosphere by amateur astronomer Anthony Wesley as he examined images of the gas giant taken from his home observatory just outside Murrumbateman NSW Australia. Jupiter's south pole is at the top in this July 19 discovery image, with Jupiter rotating from right to left. The dark marking, also likely caused by a comet or asteroid impact, is near the top of the view, left of a pre-existing, whitish, oval-shaped storm. NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility images from Mauna Kea, Hawaii later confirmed the likely impact site's dark scar and plume of particles in Jupiter's upper atmosphere. Since 2006, major discovery observations by amateur astronomers have also included two red spots on Jupiter.
Scary part of this is no other observatory saw any incoming. This impact was the size of the Earth, and the size of the rock would have vaporized any of the inner planets.
“This impact was the size of the Earth, and the size of the rock would have vaporized any of the inner planets.”
More accurately, the mark left after the impact was the size of Earth.
Shoemaker-Levy left similar (or larger) marks. It wasn’t enough to “vaporize any of the inner planets”, and neither was this. Something that size would have been a major impact event on Earth though.
It does give one good example of why we need an active space program and why we need to get comfortable with space travel. We need the ability to move those that will hit earth to a different orbit.
Its easy to say that it doesn’t happen enough to worry about but we shouldn’t forget that the last one was only about 100 years ago. If an explosion the size of the Tunguska event were to happen in the midwest it would likely kill millions.
Yes. Good thing we have those giant comet sweepers out there, huh. It’s almost as if it were planned that way...
[whines] Leave the Midwest alone!
Thanks. I didn’t have a copy. Mind if I keep it for next time? I like the compact size so you can’t really see it’s not me. :-D
LOL! No problem!
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