Earlier this week , amateur astronomers around the world independently caught a glimpse of something declamatory slamming into Jupiter .
The amount of space debris that must fall on a regular basis onto Jupiter — the with child planet in the solar system — must be astoundingly huge . We ca n’t see all of these impacts , as the vast absolute majority are very tiny , but every once in a while something big score this gun heavyweight , creating an impact flash that ’s seeable to ground observers .
Such an event seems to have happened on September 13 at approximately 10:39 p.m. UTC .
A probable impact flash on Jupiter, seen just off center.Image: José Luis Pereira
German astronomer Harald Paleske was one of several unskilled astronomers who note a sudden flareup on the Jovian cloud tops , as Spaceweatherreports . The transient flash , spotted along Jupiter ’s equatorial neighborhood , “ could only be an impact , ” he sound out . Paleske was observing Jupiter ’s lunation Io casting its shadow onto the gas colossus when he made the detection , accordingto EarthSky .
The fireball lasted for a full two second . Spaceweather suspects the offending object was either an asteroid or comet and that it measured around 328 feet ( 100 meters ) in diam . Paleske ruled out pass target like planes and satellites as messing with his line of sight , according to Spaceweather .
recreational uranologist José Luis Pereira of Brazil observed the same thing at the same time . ( His video , above , is loop for light re - watching . ) As Sky and Telescopereports , Pereira used specialized astronomy software , calledDeTeCt , to spot the powerhouse . This program , developed by Marc Delcroix , scrub through incoming astronomic data , spitting out an qui vive whenever an anomalous observation , or transient , is detected . The warning signal in this typesetter’s case put a high chance to the flare being stimulate by a hit . Pereira reassert the data with Delcroix .
Impact Flash on Jupiter sustain by at least 2 amateur astronomers : H. Paleske in Germany & by J.P. Arnould in France . See attached images & for more info about preceding Jupiter shock case : https://t.co / VIpSt2TQfn#astronomy#jupiter#impactpic.twitter.com/0kMP7iRMao
— Ernesto Guido ( @comets77)September 14 , 2021
That some kind of objective slammed into Jupiter now seems clear , as Delcroix has take in similar reports from at least seven astronomer : one from Brazil , two from Germany , three from France , and one from Italy , account Sky and Telescope .
Large object are know to slam into Jupiter from time to clock time , theprevious occurrencebeing in 2019 . Famously , cometic fragments from Shoemaker - Levy 9 flew into the gas giant in 1994 , creating a irregular mark in the upper atmosphere . At least eight impingement flashes have been commemorate on Jupiter over the past 27 years , according to Sky and Telescope .
Astronomers are being asked to monitor Jupiter to see if the late hit also left a marker .
More : Holy Irish bull , the Moon was struck by a meteorite during the ‘ first-rate beast parentage moon ’ eclipse .
Amateur astronomyAstronomyJupiter
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