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Credit & Copyright: T. Humbert, S. Barrö, A. Desmougin & D. Walliang
(Sociötö Lorraine d'Astronomie),
Astroqueyras
Explanation:
There has been a flash on Jupiter.
A few days ago, several groups monitoring our Solar System's
largest planet noticed a two-second long burst of light.
Such
flashes have been
seen before, with the most famous being a series of
impactor strikes in 1994.
Then, fragments of
Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 struck
Jupiter leaving dark patches that lasted for months.
Since then, at least
seven impacts have been recorded on Jupiter --
usually discovered by
amateur astronomers.
In the featured video,
variations in the Earth's atmosphere cause Jupiter's image to
shimmer when,
suddenly, a bright flash appears just left of center.
Io and its shadow
are
visible on the right.
What hit
Jupiter will likely
never be known, but considering what we do know of the nearby
Solar System, it was likely a piece of rocky and ice -- perhaps the size of
a bus -- that
broke off long-ago from a passing
comet or
asteroid.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Jupiter
Publications with words: Jupiter
See also: