New measurements performed by the European Space Agency's Herschel infrared space telescope indicate that a comet may have hit Neptune, the outer-most planet in our solar system, two centuries ago.Image credit: NASA
Posted on 09/22/2024 10:37:39 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
New measurements of Neptune's atmosphere by a European space telescope suggest that a comet may have crashed into the gas giant about 200 years ago.
Scientists analyzed the composition of Neptune's atmosphere using data from the Herschel space observatory. They found a peculiar distribution of carbon monoxide in the gas giant's atmosphere, which could be an indication of an earlier comet impact...
Other similar collisions between comets (or asteroids) and planets helped the astronomers detect the telltale signs of cometary impacts.
When pieces of the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 slammed into Jupiter in 1994, scientists were able to examine the trajectory and debris to better understand planetary impacts. Instruments aboard the space probes Voyager 2, Galileo and Ulysses also documented every detail of the rare incident.
The data now helps scientists detect the telltale signs of cometary impacts that happened many years ago. Comets, which are sometimes described as "dusty snowballs," leave their mark in the atmospheres of gas giants like Jupiter and Neptune in the form of water, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrocyanicacid and carbon sulfide. Trace molecules of these compounds can be detected in the radiation emitted by the planets into space.
In February, scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) presented strong evidence for a comet impact on Saturn about 230 years ago. That study was published in the February 2010 issue of Astronomy &Astrophysics.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
New measurements performed by the European Space Agency's Herschel infrared space telescope indicate that a comet may have hit Neptune, the outer-most planet in our solar system, two centuries ago.Image credit: NASA
Breaking news?
Hey, that's right, the SL-9 impacts on Jupiter happened 30 years ago.
AND ???? This is relevant to ? How can one guestimate when an asteroid hit a planet via a telescope? What is the point of this!? This hurts my brain!
Scarred by Comets: Rings of Saturn and Jupiter Show Signs of Impacts
By Mike Wall published March 31, 2011
https://www.space.com/11269-comet-impacts-saturn-jupiter-rings.html
A cometary origin for CO in the stratosphere of Saturn?
https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2010/02/aa12909-09/aa12909-09.html
LOL. 214 years in the time scale of the universe, so, yeah. ;^)
At least it didn’t smack.....that other planet out there...
Reading these articles written for elementary students you get an impression of a collision between planets and comets, smacked, smashed, slammed. Hyperbole words. The planet is just orbiting along and a comet comes out of nowhere and hits the planet. But really planet and the comet are passing each other in space and the smaller object gets caught in the gravitational pull of the larger planet and then basically falls into the atmosphere of the larger object. It might make a loud noise and cause some atmospheric disturbances but it is trivial to the planet. Like a rock thrown into a pond. Comets are tiny and insignificant compared to planets. They are like meteors to us. Super tiny. I don’t think this news is very exciting at all.
They always use words like suggests, indicates, could might and possibly. They are speculating like stoned hippies.
Obviously caused by Neptunians driving SUVs without catalytic converters.
No, it’s not breaking news. Why is this even being posted?? Use the search feature on Free Republic and you can see this was posted right here 198 years ago. it was big news then . .
Well, it is news that a comet was breaking. I’m not sure that counts.
:^) I was surprised that it didn’t turn up in various searches I tried. The article didn’t seem familiar, but as I now live on Failing Memory Lane, it could have been posted back when.
No one cares.
Does anyone think this comet created Neptune’s big blue spot?
And I don’t care about Uranus either!
Witnessed, recorded at the time?
I'm sure it occurred to someone before the two of us. :^D
:^) Hey, nice job!
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