JUPITER EARTH-SIZED IMPACT

Something hit Jupiter over the weekend and left an impact site the size of Earth on its surface.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/07/090720-jupiter-spot-impact-picture.html

Another story on the impact ....



Mystery impact leaves Earth-size mark on JupiterStory Highlights
•Amateur astronomer spots new mark on solar system's largest planet

•NASA confirms discovery is result of object crashing into Jupiter's atmosphere

•Scientists say object could be a block of ice or a wandering comet

•Object has left scar the size of Earth in Jupiter's southern polar region
updated 4 hours, 28 minutes agoNext Article in Technology »
(CNN) -- Jupiter is sporting a new scar after a mystery object hit the gaseous planet this week, NASA scientists say.


This NASA image shows a large impact near Jupiter's southern pole.

1 of 2 An amateur astronomer in Australia noticed the new mark on the planet Sunday and tipped off scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, who then confirmed it was the result of a new impact, NASA said.

It's not clear what the object was that crashed into Jupiter's poisonous atmosphere.

Glenn Orton, a JPL scientist, told the magazine New Scientist that it could have been a block of ice from somewhere in Jupiter's neighborhood, or a wandering comet that was too faint for astronomers to have detected before impact.

"We were extremely lucky to be seeing Jupiter at exactly the right time, the right hour, the right side of Jupiter to witness the event. We couldn't have planned it better," Orton said in a NASA interview.

Scientists also don't know how large the object was, but the impact scar it created is about the same size as Earth, JPL astronomer Leigh Fletcher told the magazine.

It is only the second time scientists have been able to observe such an impact on Jupiter. The first happened 15 years ago, when comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 broke into 21 pieces and hit the planet's atmosphere.

"Given the rarity of these events, it's extremely exciting to be involved in these observations," Fletcher said in a NASA interview.

Don't Miss
NASA's forays yield earthly spin-offs
Solar eclipse excitement sweeps Asia
Thermal images taken by NASA also showed a bright spot where the impact took place, which meant the crash warmed the lower atmosphere in that area, New Scientist said.

Researchers also found hints of higher-than-normal amounts of ammonia in the upper atmosphere. The Shoemaker-Levy comet also churned up extra ammonia, the magazine said.

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the sun and the largest in our solar system.

Its colorful atmosphere is 86 percent hydrogen and 14 percent helium, with tiny amounts of methane, ammonia, phosphine, water, acetylene, ethane, germanium, and carbon monoxide. The chemicals are responsible for producing the different colors of Jupiter's clouds.

The temperature at the top of those clouds is about -145 degrees Celsius (-230 degrees Fahrenheit), but far hotter near the planet's center. There, the core temperature may be about 24,000 degrees Celsius (43,000 degrees Fahrenheit), hotter than the surface of the sun.

The most outstanding feature on Jupiter's surface is the Great Red Spot, a storm of gas that swirls at a speed of about 360 kilometers (225 miles) per hour at its edge. The diameter of the spot is about three times that of Earth.

The million dollar question is ....

How does something so large heading on a crash-course with a planet, go un-noticed ?


I thought they were watching all the potential impacts in space, so how do they miss such a large object, possibly the size of earth, streaming towards a planet? Something doesn't add up here.

Jupiter is a gas giant so the impact could of been made by an asteroid. The clouds are different than solid material so the impact would be much larger. An asteroid could also be undetected if it is near Jupiter. I am also sure astronomers are looking at past photographs and try to detect the object.

I do not think it was a planet or object the size of Earth, as small objects can cause very big craters. on planets.

kidflash2008 wrote:

Jupiter is a gas giant so the impact could of been made by an asteroid. The clouds are different than solid material so the impact would be much larger. An asteroid could also be undetected if it is near Jupiter. I am also sure astronomers are looking at past photographs and try to detect the object.

I do not think it was a planet or object the size of Earth, as small objects can cause very big craters. on planets.

Agree, the size of an impact debris area doesn't mean the object was that big.
But I was surprised any decent sized object would take them by surprise the way this one did, I thought they had a better handle on potential impacts.

Jupiter is several hundred million miles away. The object would have plenty of time to be detected by Earth based instruments of it was headed our way. Now if it were Mars, I would be more concerned as that planet is much closer to us than Jupiter is. Between Jupiter and Mars is the huge asteroid belt, which includes many spherical bodies we are still discovering.