Saturn, captured by Cassini.Image credit: NASA
Posted on 07/17/2025 10:30:00 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Astronomers at the Planetary Virtual Observatory and Laboratory (PVOL) are appealing for help, after an image taken by NASA's Mario Rana appears to show an object slamming into Saturn.
Saturn, like Jupiter, is a gas giant. With their impressive masses, you would expect these giants to attract their share of asteroid impacts. Unlike terrestrial planets, which are usually left with an obvious crater after impact, on gas giants, it is not entirely obvious. With outer layers primarily composed of hydrogen and helium, any trace of an impact can disappear.
Astronomers have attempted to model how many impacts take place on the gas giant. One recent study put the number of impacts by objects over 1 kilometer at around 3.2 × 10−3 yr−1 ( 0.0032 per year, or 1 every 3,125 years). Smaller impacts are thought to be more common, with Cassini data showing that impacts can leave telltale ripples in Saturn's rings...
Despite these impacts being relatively common – around 8,000 meteorites impact Earth every year – we have never observed an object hitting Saturn. Until, just maybe, now. On Saturday, July 5, NASA's Mario Rana captured a potential impact, which has now been reported to the Planetary Virtual Observatory & Laboratory (PVOL).
The bright flash highlighted in the left side of the picture has the appearance of an impact event. Objects have been observed slamming into Jupiter every now and then, producing similar flashes...
Any astronomers who have observations from this time are urged to contact Delcroix to submit their data. Hopefully, soon we will have further observations from Saturday, helping us to confirm whether we have seen our first ever impact with gas giant Saturn.
(Excerpt) Read more at iflscience.com ...
Saturn, captured by Cassini.Image credit: NASA
Wow.
I’m way too busy to help Saturn.
Are NASA’s new DEI hires actually trying to blame this on Whites? 🤔
Saturn, like Jupiter, is a gas giant.
my daughter alleges the same about me....
There are 537 topics in the Saturn keyword. Small selection follows:
Take a ticket and we’ll call your number.
Would it help Saturn if we inserted more probes into Uranus ?
My magic move is a couple glasses of wine and a backrub. Don’t know if Saturn’s down with that.
No federal judges ordering a halt to this?
😁
Not sure how much damage a rock can do to a ball of gas. I suppose if there were such a thing as Gasosaurs on Saturn they are headed for extinction.
Better it hit Saturn than Uranus .
Did the object that hit Saturn originate in Uranus? Those things hit my car sometimes.
I already passed a couple of gas giants from the omelette I had for breakfast.
If it’s a gas giant, Uranus is the likely culprit.
Ooooo... and I thought Rosie O'Donnell had flown into Ireland. That might leave a mark.
I don’t know if this can be corroborated online, but I heard it first hand from an astronomer from Yerkes Observatory who was staying at the South Pole at the time. His name was John Briggs.
https://www.aavso.org/node/85883
Help from who?
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